2014 Concert Highlights: Three Nights And Three Jenny Lewis Shows

Three Jenny Lewis shows in three nights in November quickly doubled the number of woman-headlined shows I’ve ever attended. I didn’t even realize it until looking at the log afterward, but of nearly 200 shows, only six were headlined by women. (Technicality: Not counting openers or festival sets or mixed-gender duos/groups. By the way, the other woman-headliner shows in my concert log were Neko Case and Joan Baez, both in 2010, and Norah Jones, waaaay back in 2002.)

There’s been a lot of talk about music and feminism this year. Taylor Swift! Beyonce! Going so historically male-heavy on concerts was never intentional: my top five artists are all solo dudes or bands made up of dudes. Note: After these three shows, that’s now a top six. 100 percent men no more.

The truly outstanding, soul-shaking, life-changing music, to some degree, is universal. Brilliant lyrical metaphors and sweet pedal steel transcend gender. Sounds are sounds; words are words. But during this three-concert run, a warm sense of belonging, connection, identification and admiration unexpectedly began swirling each night. It’s a a unique feeling that can’t be duplicated at dudeshows.

At some moments, it’s the lyrical perspective of the songs, and at some moments, it’s simply being able to look up and think “I want to be more like you in my everyday life.” The crowd also contributes. Unlike at, say, a Neil Young show, where I’m surrounded by a lot of people who look like my dad, the magical rainbow pastel world of Voyager-era Jenny Lewis has a lot of inhabitants who look like me.

It’s a Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper folder come to life — a dream come true for 90s girls. Maybe, like me, they came of age during the Rilo Kiley college radio heyday and now get to see their idol in her prime, performing her best-yet solo songs with a top-notch band, wielding effortless power over a spellbound crowd — even a packed house at the notoriously oddly structured, cavernous Terminal 5 on the first night.

The tri-level space was filled to the rafters. And from the barricades to the upper-upper-level seated stations, everyone was captivated. Terminal 5 has historically been plagued with attendees who don’t pay attention. This time, though, even a group of drunk girls nearby proved to be full participants in the lovefest. The second the first song began, they began loudly singing along off-key to every single word, arms wrapped around each other and swaying. It was actually really sweet.

Night 1, Terminal 5 — NY, NY. 11/5/14

“Silver Lining”– Ah. Yes. Starting off with something from the Rilo Kiley vault. From the first notes, the surround-sound cheers and screams started. This wasn’t just the standard stage-welcome screaming. It was an indicator of the entire night. This level of enthusiasm would be sustained.

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security guard lookin’ good and security guard-y[/caption]

“Just One of the Guys” — Is this is a feminist anthem? Is it all a joke? Is it serious? The song has been deconstructed to pieces, so let’s just enjoy its Beck production and catchy chorus. By the way, every single time, she delivered the infamous “just another lady without a baby” line with a giggle, if you want to read into that. Related: I considered sending that line to my college alumnae magazine as my “life update.”
“Head Underwater” — Seemed a bit faster than on the album — very suited for the live setting. Such a strong singalong song. It’s like “A Better Son/Daughter” (which we heard later!) revisited, but for a more mature era. And performed from behind a rainbow-draped piano.
“Slippery Slopes” — I think we totally made eye contact during the “sleeping with bros” line. Terrifying. I really hope that is, in fact, the line. Singing along accurately to these songs is quite hard. Girl is the queen of the variable, progressive chorus.
“The Moneymaker” — In its full strutting glory. Men and women alike swooning. Every smile, every half-sneer, every hip-shake, every hand-raise elicited more screams.
“The Next Messiah” — Songs within a song — the country hoe-down moments, the rock moments, and through all of it, those drums! The lyric change on father not beating cancer reappeared. A little sad, but delivered so matter-of-factly and followed up so swiftly with “but I am a survivor” that she’s convinced you it’s okay — we don’t need to dwell on the sadness.
“Pretty Bird” — This is such a beautiful song, and perhaps underrated. Enhanced with arm motions (corresponding to west, south, east, north) that I now try to duplicate when listening in the car.
“The New You”– “About the loneliest Metallica fan,” per the on-stage intro.

“Late Bloomer” — Heard this one live for the first time. This is certainly one of the most Fleetwood Mac-sounding songs off The Voyager, and that element came across even more live, especially in the low-pitch chorus.
“You Are What You Love” — What a glorious surprise. This has been a mainstay on my “top five at the moment” playlist for… seven years or so? Adore its economy — it’s like a written poem. Every word and every note is important. Even more distilled live. Also never really noticed until this live version the somewhat Bob Dylan-esque biting delivery of each line that remains still remains balanced with vulnerability. “Tim” was replaced by “Jim” tonight. (And the next two nights, it turned out.)
“Melt Your Heart” — One of the quietest moments of the set, and it was astounding how everyone piped down. Even the drunk girls faded out. High-five, drunk girls.
“Rise Up With Fists!!” — Everyone rose up with fists. Nice transition away from the quiet of “Melt your Heart.”
“Aloha & The Three Johns” — Could I have done without the really disturbing/hilarious story about the inspiration for the song? Yeah, perhaps. But finally started to “get” this song (expectations vs. reality, maybe?), and really enjoyed the wave effects. And how certain lines were delivered with wide-eyed mock horror.
“Love U Forever” — Enormous spherical balloons — maybe three feet in diameter — in every color of the rainbow dropped from the ceiling at the bounciest, most 80s-esque moment during the instrumental break at the end. They bopped around in the crowd for the next few songs. At one point, Jenny tapped one with the heel of her pastel boot and it instantly, silently, neatly collapsed on itself, reduced to a little rubber puddle. Even the giant rainbow bubble balloons are powerless. (#symbolism) Also, at the end of the night, I spotted some people trying to lug them out on their shoulders like a rainbow-y Atlas statue. Further enhancing the perhaps dangerously non-expeditious group egress. Thanks, guys.
“A Better Son/Daughter” — This one. As soon as the opening guitar chords began shaping themselves into that familiar sound, the crowd — which had already maintained a decent consistent roar for more than an hour — lost it. We sang quietly during the quiet moments, then shouted along as the big crescendos kicked in. This was the song we all sang to ourselves to get through the days/weeks/months/years. I held it together this first night and the second night.

Encore:
“With Arms Outstretched” — Performed just as a trio. Didn’t even recognize at first, but once again, pandemonium as everyone realized what it was. Everyone clapping along.
“Acid Tongue” — With the usual “choir” with harmonies and just acoustic guitar. Everyone quiet again — well done.

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balloons ‘n lens flare[/caption]

“She’s Not Me” — “For all my ladies.” My favorite song on The Voyager. Like during the Newport performance, it was an early departure as the vocals finished, disappearing into the rainbows with a raised hand-lettered paper cup and leaving the band to finish out. Never seen anyone else do that in concert, but it works. Totally works.

Random 1: She tried to come down between stage and barrier to sing, but screeching feedback immediately ensued. Still ran along front row (greeted with universal shrieks of course), touching everyone’s hands. Side note: Never washing right hand again. Side note 2: That’s a joke, don’t worry.
Random 2: Capturing what was on everyone’s mind, a dude shouted “Why are you so awesome?” Answer: “It’s the rainbows, man.”
Random 3: My iPhone “review notes” to myself written that night just read “magical show.” Not useful, but true. So true.

Show-specific lyric changes:
Acid-dropping location, “Acid Tongue”: “been down to Brooklyn”
Mode of communication, “You Are What You Love”: “that’s why you keep texting me back”

Night 2, Space at Westbury — Westbury, N.Y. 11/6/14

The setlist was similar to the previous night’s, except with “Pretty Bird” deleted and, most unexpectedly, “The Voyager” added. Only the first or second time it had been performed live. The sound folks produced a very cool spacey effect with the microphones and mixes. It was almost like a floating three-dimensional choral feeling, but distant. Whatever it is officially called, it was perfect for the themes of the song, and quite haunting.

The only downside was that the sound never fully returned to normal after that. Even to my just-a-girl-who-goes-to-shows ears, sometimes it sounded a little muddy sometimes, between-song banter became tough to decipher, and sometimes certain elements kept jumping too loud in the mix. Still absolutely worth it to hear that song: For a moment, we saw a a different kind of vulnerability and emotion, from someone whose on-stage persona is always so effortless. Or, if the maybe-even-a-bit-of-nervousness was just another element of the stage act, it was certainly believable.

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the neck-craning view[/caption]

During “With Arms Outstretched,” someone in the crowd who decided to take the lyrics even more literally than everyone else very nearly toppled over headfirst over the barricade trying to touch her hand. Center of gravity, dude. At another moment, someone else in the front row almost succeeded in making the elusive hand-to-hand contact, but she suddenly drew back, theatrically and maybe almost admonishingly, and glided to the other side of the stage without missing a beat.

Afterward, I started thinking those moments — about feminism and objectification and stage presence. And “I’m not yours for the taking.” Maybe because I very rarely see women perform. Maybe because all of those articles about female artists started popping up around this time. At these shows, I overheard a ton of “so hot” comments, but really, it’s a playful, deliberate “hotness.” She is totally in control of it and is going to give you just enough so that you’re under the spell. And “you” means men and women alike — this is universal. It’s always very clear who has ownership of the room and, by extension, of everyone. And you know, that’s exactly the kind of power that a girl might dream of having in her own, off-stage setting.

Speaking of objectification, guys… no iconic rainbow suit during this show. (My mom, who’d expressed mom-like concern about its laundering frequency, was relieved when I informed her afterward that a shiny black ensemble had been rotated in.)

The biggest difference from the previous night was the crowd. The smaller room was more loosely packed. Although the front row had some diehards, the enthusiasm and attention levels couldn’t match the stratospheric highs at Terminal 5. No matter the performer, the crowd always makes the show.

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“Acid Tongue” choir[/caption]

Random 1: No balloons during “Love U Forever” (come on, that can’t happen every night), and no story about the real-life origins of “Aloha & the Three Johns (yay?).
Random 2: By the second night, opening band Girlpool was starting to grow on me. (Night one impression: Wait, why are they scrunching their faces and intentionally shouting-singing like that? I don’t get this. I’m old.) They are sort of baby hipsters, but in a sweet, sincere, artsy, Rookie magazine sort of way? Plus, they’re young! So, impressive no matter what. By the third night, I loved the fearlessness of their deceptively simple lyrics and genuinely liked their music (except for the screaming bits in “Jane,” but at least I knew when they were coming).

Show-specific lyric changes:
Acid-dropping location, “Acid Tongue”: Montauk
Mode of communication, “You Are What You Love: Skyping

Night 3 — Calvin Theatre, Northampton, Mass. 11/7/14

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(joking) tweet from that night[/caption]

First things first.

But let’s back up. I’d originally bought a seated ticket to this show. By night three, I’d be tired of standing, right? I also wasn’t sure if standing there at three consecutive shows would be considered creepy. After two nights in the front row, though, I realized there’s no other way to go. One last chance for that immersive experience. Unfortunately, the general admission tickets were sold out. I wandered into the box office in Northampton to make sure, and just when I was about to leave, the attendent told me that I could actually stand in the GA section with my seated ticket. Totally legal.

So tired legs or not, potential creeper or not, there I was again in the front row. And that’s how I received my flowers, which I’ll take as a sign that my presence was okay. And as a sign of marriage. I mean, it was during “Love U Forever,” so duh. (Let’s throw in another “kidding” side note just to be safe.)

At this show, the crowd enthusiasm returned, rivaling the levels seen two nights ago and giving the entire performance wonderful energy. Really, many of the comments from Night 1 apply here. Some other song-specific highlights:

“Shakedown Street” — Grateful Dead cover! (“Do you guys like the Dead? Of course, it’s Northampton — I don’t even have to ask.” Fair enough.) So much fun.
“The Voyager” — It’s back. And as the opening song. The girl next to me nearly had a heart attack. Leading off with a quiet song always strikes me as a risky move (will the crowd settle down in time?), but when it’s executed well and the audience behaves, it’s instantly powerful. Reminded me of the times Josh Ritter has started his shows with “Idaho,” sometimes solo and sometimes on his knees.
“With Arms Outstretched” and “Rise Up With Fists!!” — Timing of the crowd’s lyric-appropriate arm motions was flawless. Arms were outstreched and fists rose up in unison. Nice visual representation of how into it everyone was. Pretty sure I saw some literal bowing down happening during several songs, too.
“Pretty Bird” — It returned! So, with this and “The Voyager,” this was definitely the best setlist of the three shows.

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Candyland[/caption]

“A Better Son/Daughter” — If you ever need to teach dynamics to kids, this might be the song to use. They’ll be okay with the lyrics. Quiet moment. Loud moment. The full-force, multi-guitar sound unleashed near the end carries so much raw power — considerably expanded from the album version. Even got a little emotional. Only the fourth teary-eyed incident ever at a concert. Also, this is as close as I’ll ever get to seeing a Rilo Kiley show. Sigh.

Show-specific lyric changes:
Acid-dropping location, “Acid Tongue”: Dixie (the original lyric… I was pulling for “Springfield” for some reason)
Mode of communication, “You Are What You Love”: texting

p.s. Random of Randoms:
For posterity, this happened on Halloween, less than a week before the shows. I mentioned it was The Year of Jenny Lewis, so I’d be remiss not to include it.

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art project[/caption]

Best social media moment(s) of 2014 as a music fan, or best social media moment(s) of 2014 as a music fan? Technology is terrifying and yet wonderful.

2015: See more shows performed by women!