Certain Songs

Ah...last night's Lemonheads show was like the mid 90's all over again! And I mean that in the best possible sense.

Evan Dando stumbled and mumbled(literally) his way through a non stop set of sing along favorites! I know almost every song they played by heart, and I am not sure I understood a lyric all night. This isn't a complaint mind you, just a fact. That is the beautiful thing about rock n' roll, its not meant to be perfect. Since I spent most of the mid 90's in college, and many times in some altered state or another, that is how I most fondly remember the Lemonheads anyway!


Dando only stopped to attempt to speak to the crowd once that I remember...taking a second to blast the new Dylan bio-pic 'I'm Not There'...he didn't like it, not at all. But I wouldn't put TOO much stock into a film review by a guy who spent like 5 minutes trying to get his jacket sleeve untangled from his guitar's tuning knobs...yeah, Mr. Dando was HAMMERED! And I loved every sloppy second of it...good times, good times.

The boys played all the hits, 'Shame About Ray', 'Down About It', 'Confetti', 'My Drug Buddy'. The end of the show was my own personal favorite moment...when Dando graced the stage alone then played three acoustic tunes, including one of my favorites, his cover of Vic Chestnutt's 'Frying Pan.' Then he slammed down his acoustic guitar(not in a Pete Townsend 'FUCK THE MAN' kind of a way, but more like a 'Oh man, I forgot...there are more drugs upstairs' kind of way) and literally RAN up the steps at the side of the Troubadour stage. Looking confused he and the band came back for an impromptu version of 'Freebird' as requested by some heckler(a very original heckler at that) and a couple of more songs and just like that it was 2007 again.

Thanks for the time warp though fellas, it was a wonderful night of rock and nostalgia.

I think I have found my favorite Los Angeles venue so far. I already loved the Troubadour before ever setting foot inside of the place, just knowing it's history and the legendary list of people who have played there. But once inside, it just got so much better. Such a fan friendly set up...and the sound was perfect all night.

Jesca Hoop opened the show and was mesmerizing. Such a beautiful voice, backed by a subdued but capable band, it was clear that her voice was the star of the show. I literally couldn't walk during her entire 40 minutes on stage. She was radiant. The songs she played off of her debut album 'Kismet' sounded even better live.

Then just a few minutes after 10 Matt Pond PA took the stage. First thing I noticed is that the band configuration has changed quite a bit. I have seen them twice before, both times with multiple strings players. Now they play as a tight 4 piece and seem to play with a LOT more intensity. This was by far the best I have heard the boys sound. The highlights were 'Sunlight' and 'Taught To Look Away' from Last Light, the new record....and 'So Much Trouble' and 'Halloween' off of Several Arrows Later.

A great night all the way around....now to catch my breath for a couple of days before Lucero on Saturday night :-)