The past year has been a whirlwind for Jolie Holland, having received praise from the likes of Tom Waits and seemingly every critic from New York to L.A. Hell, this writer even joined in the chorus of accolades in issue #63 of MAGNET. The acclaim was well deserved. Holland’s 2003 debut, Catalpa, although essentially a collection of demos, is a hauntingly beautiful foray into Southern gothic and Appalachia, earning her a nomination for the Shortlist Music Prize.

Escondida followed quickly on Catalpa’s heels, hearing the former Be Good Tanya expanding on her love for traditional sounds but also exploring her inner Billie Holiday. In support of this sophomore effort, Holland embarked on a grueling worldwide tour, now at 10 months and counting. In fact, tonight’s appearance would be her third in Pittsburgh within the last year. These facts alone would suggest that Holland needs to take a breather, but her petulant behavior over the course of the night left no doubt that an extended vacation is in order.

Taking the stage around 11 p.m. accompanied by her guitarist and drummer, a rumpled Holland kicked things off by giving the audience a sullen look and remarking that the band was exhausted, having been on tour since April of last year. She proceeded to back up this assertion by delivering listless versions of Escondida’s “Sascha” and “Old Fashioned Morphine” and Catalpa’s “Littlelest Birds.” Onlookers would have been forgiven for thinking that they’d seen more personality and passion from Condi Rice.

As the evening progressed, Holland grew increasingly agitated. “I’m going to go find my oxygen mask,” she sniped about the audience’s cigarette smoke. I’ll be glad when Pittsburgh follows New York City’s example and bans smoking from bars. But as I looked around the room, there just weren’t that many people lighting up. There was no smoke hanging under the stage lights, and, most tellingly, my clothes didn’t smell like an ashtray the next morning. Frankly, Holland’s complaints were baffling. Besides, where had she been playing these last 10 months if not in smoky bars? As further context, consider that this venue is of some renown in terms of artist friendliness, boasting intimate seating and a million-dollar sound system. Finally, the audience was nothing if not polite and attentive.

Yet Holland’s air-quality tirade continued, culminating with abrupt instructions to her guitarist to tell some jokes, as she had to go outside to get some air. Although stunned, the audience played along until Holland deigned to take the stage again. She should have stayed outside, as things only went from bad to worse.

When a break came near the end of the next song and the audience began to applaud, Holland angrily cut them off with a wave of her arm, signaling that the song was not over yet. Following a perfunctory rendition of “Ring Around The Moon,” Holland resumed her complaining about the smoke, said she needed some “positive ions” and once again interrupted the show to leave the venue. Having had enough of Holland’s churlish behavior and lackluster performance, this reviewer did the same.