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Review Of Paul Weller Gig At The 9:30 Club In Washington, DC!

From Paul Weller, Tasty Morsels of Jam
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Washington Post

Combining the Clash's fury with the Who's flair, the Jam became the most commercially successful punk band in its native Britain. So it's all the harder for onetime Jam frontman Paul Weller, who performed Saturday at the 9:30 Club, to escape the legacy of that group -- even in the United States, where the Jam was never more than a cult attraction.

Weller's 9:30 set emphasized material from his nearly 20-year solo career, but was stoked by the promise of a few earlier numbers. If that formula seemed a bit coy, Weller's two-hour set could have been even more frustrating. He might have tried to reproduce the feel of his wispy new album, "22 Dreams," which dabbles in jazz, lullabies and electronica while reflecting on turning 50. Moving between guitar and keyboards, Weller plucked a few songs from "22 Dreams" but stuck to straightforward rock and soul tunes. During the first of three encore sets, the singer even teased the crowd with an unplugged version of the Jam's "The Butterfly Collector" and a snippet of the Who's "Magic Bus."

The audience was on Weller's side throughout the evening, especially when he played such up-tempo numbers as "The Changingman." Yet the biggest response came when the performer and his versatile four-piece band stormed into "A Town Called Malice," a strutting rocker from the Jam's final, funky period. Nothing could top that, not even the last of the many encores: a cello-driven rendition of the Beatles' "All You Need is Love." Weller had fought the Jam, and the Jam won.

-- Mark Jenkins

Got this also from a reader:

Tammi C said...

Here is the set list for his show 9/13/08 at the 9:30 Club. I was lucky enough to be standing near the soundboard at the end of the show and one of his wonderful road crew members gave it to me! Anyway, enjoy:

1. Out of the Sinking
2. Peacock Suit
3. 22 Dreams
4. All I Wanna Do Is
5. From the Floorboards Up
6. Sea Spray
7. Shout To The Top
8. Wild Blue Yonder
9. Empty Ring
10. Invisible
11. Have You Made Up Your Mind
12. Porcelain Gods
13. Picking Up Sticks
14. Wishing On A Star/Broken
15. Butterfly Collector
16. Light Nights
17. All on a Misty Morning
18. Wild Wood
19. Echoes Round The Sun
20. Come On/Let's Go
21. That's Entertainment
22. The Changingman
23. A Town Called Malice
24. All You Need Is Love

This is how it is written on the setlist, however there were some diversions/additions to this list...such as the singing of "Happy Birthday" to Roger and a couple of medleys/breaks that were unexpected and not written on the list (and since this was my first time seeing the Modfather, I paid attention to the music and wasn't writing things down.

Very good show and I wish we got the chance to see more of him in the states!



The Actual Set List:
01. Peacock Suit
02. 22 Dreams
03. Out Of The Sinking
04. All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
05. From The Floorboards Up
06. Sea Spray
07. Happy Birthday Roger
08. Shout To The Top
09. Wild Blue Yonder
10. Empty Ring
11. Invisible
12. Have You Made Up Your Mind
13. Porcelain Gods
14. Picking Up Sticks
15. Wishing On A Star
16. The Butterfly Collector
17. All On A Misty Morning/Magic Bus!
18. Wild Wood
19. Echoes Round The Sun
20. Come On, Let's Go
21. Broken Stones/Oh Happy Day!
22. The Changingman
23. Town Called Malice
24. All You Need Is Love

Comments

  1. Anonymous15 September 2008 at 17:59

    The Post reviewer is a jerk. If anybody went to see nostogia night with Weller, they need thier head examined, for 20 years or more he has not done that. I liked seeing FTJ, but would hate to see Weller play it. If he only did Jam covers he would not be the vital artist he is. A few TSC and Jam covers is one thing, but a more than that ignores and boxes in his music.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous18 September 2008 at 21:56

    That set list isn't really accurate. I have a recording of the show and he started off with Peacock Suit and never played That's Entertainment. He also added Magic Bus to the end of one of the acoustic songs.

    ReplyDelete

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