From her early days playing at open-mike nights in Northhampton, Mass., Dar Williams has stood out among folk singers. Her intelligent and deeply personal lyrics have sparkled against her exquisite voice and her acoustic guitar. She has explored relationships with people and with the world over her first three albums. Now, with her latest tour and disc (The Green World), Dar has taken herself one step further: into the realm of the folk-pop crossover.

One of the key ingredients to this crossover was the addition of a full band behind Dar. While at first, the mere idea of Dar's use of a band in concert seems sacrilegious to fans who have followed her from the start, it didn't take long for Dar to prove that she can do no wrong. Yes, she brought a band, but it only enhanced the "Dar Experience" (which will be explained later). It complemented her every note, rising to the crescendos and falling away when Dar needed a more personal interaction with the audience.

Attending a Dar Williams concert is more than simply listening to incredible music, it's participating in "The Dar Experience." Dar weaves together intelligence, quirkiness, humor and lush melodic arrangements that entertain and enlighten. Only she could craft pop songs out of a failed 17th-century Polish messianic cult, psychotherapy or the anti-Vietnam activities of former priest Daniel Berrigan. Her radio-ready single, "What do you Love More than Love" skews off center with its focus on Buddhism. Even Dar recognizes the unlikely nature of her topics, joking between songs.

This self-mocking humor was a critical part of this installment of the Dar Experience. For every song, Dar has a story, shedding light on the sometimes-cryptic lyrics. Her warm, funny manner during these anecdotes made the Orpheum seem as intimate as a small club. She engaged the audience with stories that were as intelligent and entertaining as the songs themselves. Where else would a Dar fan find out that in her original vision for "The Christians and the Pagans" (yes, the title says it all), the chorus was to be sung by a giant hall of naked feminists? Even when things didn't run perfectly, Dar let the energy of the night lead her through. When her guitar broke as she started a slower song, she exclaimed "Zeus sent down a lightning bolt-I guess that does it for slow songs tonight!"

Audience adoration figured prominently in the Dar Experience. The nearly sold-out house adoringly hung on her every word and lyric. They especially appreciated her older songs, cheering when Dar announced that she was about to perform an oldie. She acknowledges this, joking, "I don't take it personally anymore." Her solo performance of "The Babysitter's Here," a description of adoration from the perspective of a pre-teen taken from her first album, was one of the highlights of the show.

Yet even when she was alone on stage, Dar wasn't performing solo. The audience (most of whom knew her entire catalog by heart) sang along, dancing in their seats. Their excitement only grew when Dar announced near the end of the show that it was being recorded for a live album.

The nearly two and a half hour show (complete with three encores) will serve her well in CD format. It highlighted her humor, intelligence, and warmth and gave the audience a dose of the Dar Experience it will not soon forget.

DAR WILLIAMS

at

The Orpheum

Nov 19