Have You Ever Wanted to Be A Mermaid?

Oct. 6, Dora Jar stopped in Salt Lake City while on her “Behind The Curtain” tour at Kilby Court.

“Salt Lake City, We’re In A Shack!”

Dora Jar was in Salt Lake opening for The 1975 a year ago. Now, she’s headlining her tour with the debut album “No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire.” I’ll tell you this: this girl was on fire.

As the band made their way to the stage, Dora got up front and center and performed a comical opening to “A Spoonful of Sugar.” This set the bar for my expectations, and she did not disappoint. I was in a trance watching her perform. Even though there were technical difficulties, she carried on effortlessly through the bit. Now that’s commitment.

 Her use of the space, small as it is, was incredibly imaginative. She made the room feel bigger than it was, which played more and more into the versatility of her music.

Debbie Downer? I Hardly Know Her

The entire night was fun and filled with so many surprises. Dora has such an excitable persona, that rubs right off on you and will keep you asking for more. Her performance exudes such bravery and playfulness, she makes the audience feel like her best friend.

Her set consisted of songs such as, “Ragdoll,” “She Loves Me” and “Puppet” from her latest album, “No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire.” With many others throughout the night, each song created a different moment to interact with the audience. Dora would hold out the microphone and sing with audience members, dance along with us and even scream with us – emphasis on the screaming. 

What I gathered from tonight, is that Dora Jar is an enthusiast of pirates and fairies. As she got ready to perform “Cannonball,” she ushered the audience to yell ‘Arghh!’ and begin rocking back and forth. It was incredible— the force she had on the room— which only stayed consistent. I recall another moment when she got all of us to hum along to “Quiver” and called us her ‘marching band of elves.’ I am honored to have become a part of her band.

The bits only kept adding on as time went by. Another of these that had me reeling, was during “Timelapse” when she asked us to shout out local treasures. Usually a song about New York, it became a song about Salt Lake. We came up with Wasatch, Sugarhouse and Deer Valley which she incorporated into the song on the spot. Call her a comedian, an improvisation genius, because that was impressive.

“Thank You For Coming Out on a Sunday”

The playfulness of her performance shined through the theme of growing up that is present in her music. Songs like “Holy Water” and “Debbie Darling” were among the few that stopped time and allowed us to reflect along with her. Within this, I felt closer to Dora than I ever have before. Whether it was because we were face-to-face or not, the relationship she built that night with us all will forever be tied.

I am indebted to Dora Jar’s endless enthusiasm for music. Nearing the end of her set, she explained how the band was met with some complications on their drive into the state. But, that didn’t stop them. Some duct tape and cardboard were all they needed to continue the journey and bring the music to Salt Lake City.