More wright than wrong

Rufus Wainwright

Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.

M, 21 +, $20

(412)261-2221 …

Rufus Wainwright

Tomorrow, 7:30 p.m.

M, 21 +, $20

(412)261-2221

A musician knows he’s made it in the best possible way when he’s all over MTV2.

MTV lost any legitimacy it ever had as a serious music station at about the same time as The Real World premiered. If a musician is on constant rotation there, sure, the record will sell millions, but will it be respected musically? Probably not. MTV2 serves as a happy medium – plenty of records sold and respect as a serious music station.

That said, perhaps you caught the video for Rufus Wainwright’s “California” on MTV2. Or maybe you saw “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk.” Maybe you even saw the video for the exquisite “April Fools.”

If you did happen to witness one of those videos, you likely caught on to what the music world has been proclaiming for a couple years now: Rufus Wainwright is seriously cool.

He’s got it all: the melodies, the lyrics, the voice. He’s got creative instrumentals and his sound is unique enough to guarantee that anyone who has ever heard him will be able to proclaim “Oh, that’s Rufus Wainwright” every time they ever hear him again. He’s the son of two semi-famous musicians (OK, they’re famous enough to make him cool, but not enough to turn his life into a celebrity sideshow). And he’s attractive to boot.

Moreover, he had the good sense to come to Pittsburgh during a tour with only nine dates. If there’s a show worth pulling out your trusty fake ID for, Wainwright’s performance tomorrow at M might be it. That’s right, it’s yet another Pittsburgh show that excludes a huge chunk of the musician’s fan base by being 21 and over. When will promoters learn?

But if you’re lucky enough to have already reached the arbitrary age that allows you attend a show at which you may or may not consume alcohol, go see Rufus Wainwright before he becomes too popular to play at clubs like M. It’s only a matter of time, after all. The MTV2 gods have fated it.

-Melissa Balick, staff writer