Paul Weller wrapped up his brief tour of the East Coast of the United States with concerts at the legendary Washington DC venue, the 9:30 Club and Union Transfer in Philadelphia. Paul played a set consisting of quite a few Jam classics and heavy on tunes from his latest LP, Sonik Kicks. As always, Paul was well received by his die-hard fans in the States and was generous in signing autographs and posing for pictures. Thanks to all that provided the images and vids for this update! Enjoy!!!
Paul Weller
9:30 Club, Washington DC, USA
July 30, 2013
Set List:
Peacock Suit
Wake Up the Nation
From the Floorboards Up
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
My Ever Changing Moods
Sea Spray
Kling I Klang
The Attic
Going Places
Friday Street
Porcelain Gods
Above The Clouds
That Dangerous Age
Dragonfly
That’s Entertainment
STaRt!
Whirlpool’s End
The Changingman
Encore:
Sunflower
Wild Wood
Broken Stones
Town Called Malice
Review From The Baltimore Sun
By: Matthew Hay Brown
Here, he’s much more of a cult figure – but it’s a devoted cult. So while he joked about his relative obscurity in the United States during his appearance Tuesday night at the 9:30 Club – thanking the three and a half people who bought his last album, commiserating with audience members who didn’t know the songs – the reality is the hall was filled with fans who sang along to most every word. And not just to “Town Called Malice” and “That’s Entertainment,” the closest the Jam came to hits here, but to “Friday Street,” “From the Floorboards Up” and others that never charted stateside.
Weller bounced out to “Peacock Suit,” played as a malevolent thumper. Silver-haired and wiry, he bears a passing resemblance to Iggy Pop, grown craggy in the way of Ron Wood or Rod Stewart. And here’s what’s good about his comparitively low profile in the United States, where he is making a six-stop tour confined to the major East Coast cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington: It allows fans to see him in a club setting, which has to be the best way to see this kind of music.
The opening song set the tone for the set: The tight seven-piece band pounded out a throbbing beat; with longtime collaborator Steve Craddock often twinning Weller’s guitar, the sound was often harder and louder than in the recorded versions. The crowd responded, and Weller seemed to feed off of their energy.
A noisy “Porcelain Gods,” with a fine, jagged guitar solo by Weller, gave way to a suitably airy “Above the Clouds.” Weller introduced “That’s Entertainment,” one of the all-time greatest tracks by anyone, anywhere, as an “old English folk song,” then followed with a satisfying rip through the “Taxman” rewrite “Start!”
Unlike most of his peers from punk’s Class of ’77, Weller has never taken a break from making music, or from exploring new directions. The quality of his writing, meanwhile, has remained remarkably consistent. So while he played a few Jam songs, and a trebly, guitar-based version of the Style Council’s “My Ever Changing Moods,” the set was based largely on his most recent several albums, to good effect.
“Kling I Klang,” from last year’s "Sonik Kicks," was a crashing, heavy ska that in the band’s live rendering recalled the Clash’s “Know Your Rights.” “Fast Car/Slow Traffic,” from 2010’s "Wake Up The Nation," sounded like early Jam. “Sea Spray,” from 2008’s 22 Dreams, was an acoustic march.
Later came a roaring read of “Town Called Malice,” another all-timer. He took over an electric piano for the gospelly 1970s R&B of “Broken Stones.”
Weller concluded the main set with “The Changingman,” something of a manifesto for an experienced artist who continues to follow music down new avenues.
Images By: Kyle Gustafson
Image by Agnes M.
Paul & Lisa Coffman After The Gig!
Paul Weller
Union Transfer, Philadelphia, USA
July 31, 2013
Set List:
Peacock Suit
7&3 Is The Striker's Name
Wake Up The Nation
From The Floorboards Up
Fast Car / Slow Traffic
My Ever Changing Moods
Sea Spray
Klang I Klang
The Attic
Going Places
Friday Street
Porcelain Gods
That Dangerous Age
Above The Clouds
Dragonfly
That's Entertainment
STaRt!
Whirlpools End
The Changingman
Encore:
Sunflower
Wild Wood
Be Happy Children
Town Called Malice
Review From Phawker.com
Review and Image By: Rory McGlasson
Paul Weller, founder of The Jam, is now and shall forever be The Modfather. The 55-year-old Brit pop icon ended his U.S. tour Wednesday at Union Transfer and despite a setlist with paltry few Jam numbers, Weller did not disappoint. Weller doesn’t do nostalgia. Repeated shout-outs for Jam tunes were summarily ignored. Still, Weller did offer up a few all-time favorites, among them “That’s Entertainment,” the timeless classic that catapulted Weller to super-stardom some 36 years ago, and the mighty “Town Called Malice.”
Weller, who still gets nervous before going on stage apparently, took about three minutes to feel at home with the Philly crowd as he blasted into “Wake Up The Nation,” and ”From the Floorboards Up” with his crack seven-piece band, leaning heavily on his last two records, Sonick Kicks and Wake Up the Nation, along with a Style Council nod in the form of the quite underrated “My Ever Changing Moods.”
Despite the silvering of his trademark mod mullet, Weller still sounds like the kid off the streets of Woking, in Southern England. The genuine passion in Weller’s voice, not to mention the soulful lyrics and readily apparent love of his craft, is why The Modfather still matters all these years later.
Images by Harper Habbersett
Images by Joyce Bell
Images by Karl Nittinger
Image by Harper Habbersett
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