by Virginia Hernandez

Cat Power brought the 25th anniversary tour of The Greatest to ACL Live at the Moody Theater on Valentine’s Eve, captivating her most loyal fans with her famous raspy, soulful vocals in a performance deeply seated in reverence, ache, and hard-fought resilience.

From the opening piano notes of “The Greatest,” with a minimalist stage and pink-drenched lighting, the singer, also known as Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall, made it clear this wouldn’t be a nostalgic run-through. Her voice, smokier and lived-in now, defied an unfortunate cough with powerful howls and vibrating grit. With a voice-doubling echo mic, she deftly created soundscapes around the melodies with a tenderness that felt both faithful to the recordings and reshaped by lived experience. The talented backing band leaned into the album’s Memphis soul undercurrent, giving tracks like “Living Proof” and “Lived in Bars” a warm, unhurried groove that let the songs breathe.

There was an intensity to the full-album performance, which sometimes stood in contrast to a vulnerable stage presence that found Power rambling her thoughts to the audience in a confessional style. Often singing to the audience while shadowed mostly in darkness, songs like “Could We” and “Empty Shell” unfolded delicately, while “Willie” and “Where Is My Love” shimmered with drama. Despite stage distractions, there is no denying the spellbinding effect of Power’s vocal prowess. “The Moon” was a standout, and by the time she reached “Hate” and “Love and Communication,” Marshall demonstrated her mastery of balancing fragility with resolve.

The encore stretched beyond The Greatest, revealing the breadth of her influences and the elasticity of her voice. A sultry take on “Try Me” (originally by James Brown & The Famous Flames) nodded to classic soul roots, while “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” honored the defiant country standard. Her unexpected cover of “The Beachland Ballroom” by IDLES was gritty and reverent all at once – proof of her instinct for reinterpreting songs across genres.

“Sea of Love” (made famous by Phil Phillips) felt like a genuine remake when tinged with her open expressiveness, while “Song to Bobby” closed the night on an intimate note.

What made the evening remarkable wasn’t just the anniversary milestone; it was the clear artist evolution. The Greatest has always been about longing – about chasing something just out of reach. Twenty-five years later, Marshall doesn’t chase. She inhabits. At ACL Live, she stood firmly in her catalog, revisiting it not as a relic but as a living document. The songs sounded less like memories and more like familiar companions – weathered, wiser, and very much alive.

Set list

The Greatest
Living Proof
Lived in Bars
Could We
Empty Shell
Willie
Where Is My Love
The Moon
Islands
After It All
Hate
Love and Communication
Try Me
(James Brown & The Famous Flames cover)
It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
(J.D. Miller cover)
Manhattan
Good Woman
The Beachland Ballroom
(IDLES cover)
Sea of Love
(Phil Phillips cover)
Song to Bobby