Nikka Costa kicked off her long-awaited U.S. tour with a bang on Nov. 22 at Cane’s Bar and Grill. If you’re a skeptic of reincarnation, you obviously have not seen Costa live, because she commands the stage as if she were channeling the spirit of Janis Joplin. While her single, “”Like a Feather,”” gained Costa some notice this past year, she is still a relative rookie of the rock scene. However, if Friday night’s show is any indicator, Costa is about to become huge.
Guardian
Of course, the publicity buzz surrounding Costa is quite well known by now — born the daughter of famous producer/arranger Don Costa, Costa began performing at the age of five, opening for heavyweights such as Don Ho and The Police. While her press bio reads like a who’s who of music, portraying Costa as an “”old pro,”” Costa is still feeling her way into the music industry.
“”It’s kind of more something the record company likes to run with,”” Costa said, referring to her father’s famous collaborators, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sly Stone.
This is Costa’s first U.S. headlining tour — her first chance to show everyone just what she’s made of.
“”This is our first actual, proper U.S. tour. We’ve only ever done promotional shows around town so there’s not been a real opportunity for fans to come until now,”” Costa said.
Judging by the line that gathered outside her backstage door after the show, Costa should have no trouble winning over audiences on her 19-date tour, which will wrap up in Tuscon, Ariz. just before Christmas. Her set, which featured most of the songs off of her album, “”Everybody Got Their Something,”” lasted about an hour. However, the audience cheered for an encore that seemed to be truly spontaneous. If you have yet to hear of Costa, make a note: Whether she really has the soul of Janis or is just the next rock goddess, she’s definitely got “”something!””
