The Unbearable Charm of Aging: Nick Lowe @ The Fillmore
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Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock
(The Fillmore, San Francisco CA, 04/12/2008)
I want to age like Nick Lowe: with great dignity. When I'm closing in on 60, I want his relaxed charm, faint smile, easy humor, gaunt figure, and confident grace. From the way Lowe transmitted these qualities throughout his 90-minute down-to-mid-tempo set at The Fillmore last night, it's hard to say whether resignation to age or hard boozing along the way are part of the deal. What I can say is that, among the artists I have seen perform solo, only PJ Harvey can match (via very different qualities, of course) Lowe's stage charm. From the set opener "When I Write The Book" onward, I also marveled at Lowe's easy ability to modify song rhythms and dynamics on the fly with nary a wrong note. His vocal phrasings in particular were a constant source of enjoyment. The set list was a reliable mix of old and new, with a brand new song in the middle of the set called "I Read A Lot" about the newly developed habits of a jilted lover. "Long Limbed Girl," "I Trained Her To Love Me," "Hope For Us All," "People Change," and "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" made the cut from last year's At My Age. The simplicity of Lowe's solo performance underscored the remarkable way this material manages to have devastating effects on the listener through most slight and subtle chord changes. Other selections included his one hit "Cruel To Be Kind," Without Love," "Heart," "I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock'N'Roll)," "All Men Are Liars," "Soulful Wind," a touching "Shelley My Dear," an excellent "I Live On A Battlefield," "Man That I've Become," "Lately I've Let Things Slide," and "Has She Got A Friend?" Too-obvious-by-half set closer was "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (yes, originally penned by Lowe). I was still thinking through my awe as the first encore was launched by "Beast In Me" (covered, like "Without Love" by Johnny Cash). Next Robyn Hitchcock joined Lowe to a great effect on covers of "Hungry For Love" by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and "If I Fell" by The Beatles. A thunderous and incessant 5-minute clapping and howling was rewarded by quick versions of "7 Nights to Rock" and "Heart Of The City" as the second encore.
Now I want to see Nick Lowe with a band. Badly.
It's with a band that I'd prefer to see Robyn Hitchcock. As I prefer his more rocking material from the '80s and am less familiar with his more Syd Barrett type acoustic folk material, I didn't know most of the songs he performed during his equally solo acoustic set. Hitchcock was in fine vocal form, eccentric as ever in his between-songs banter, and clearly glad to be back in San Francisco, since he announced he was playing mainly songs he had written or recorded in the city. He was a good pairing for his old friend Lowe: one white-haired man whimsical as a kid, another white-haired man charming and distinguished. (And yes, I am aware that I used "charm" or "charming" about 4 times in this review.)
Not to forget that it's a Sunday under covers, under red button you can find Lowe's neat cover of The Uniques' "Not Too Long Ago" from At My Age (unfortunately not part of his live set).
(The Fillmore, San Francisco CA, 04/12/2008)
I want to age like Nick Lowe: with great dignity. When I'm closing in on 60, I want his relaxed charm, faint smile, easy humor, gaunt figure, and confident grace. From the way Lowe transmitted these qualities throughout his 90-minute down-to-mid-tempo set at The Fillmore last night, it's hard to say whether resignation to age or hard boozing along the way are part of the deal. What I can say is that, among the artists I have seen perform solo, only PJ Harvey can match (via very different qualities, of course) Lowe's stage charm. From the set opener "When I Write The Book" onward, I also marveled at Lowe's easy ability to modify song rhythms and dynamics on the fly with nary a wrong note. His vocal phrasings in particular were a constant source of enjoyment. The set list was a reliable mix of old and new, with a brand new song in the middle of the set called "I Read A Lot" about the newly developed habits of a jilted lover. "Long Limbed Girl," "I Trained Her To Love Me," "Hope For Us All," "People Change," and "Rome Wasn't Built In A Day" made the cut from last year's At My Age. The simplicity of Lowe's solo performance underscored the remarkable way this material manages to have devastating effects on the listener through most slight and subtle chord changes. Other selections included his one hit "Cruel To Be Kind," Without Love," "Heart," "I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock'N'Roll)," "All Men Are Liars," "Soulful Wind," a touching "Shelley My Dear," an excellent "I Live On A Battlefield," "Man That I've Become," "Lately I've Let Things Slide," and "Has She Got A Friend?" Too-obvious-by-half set closer was "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" (yes, originally penned by Lowe). I was still thinking through my awe as the first encore was launched by "Beast In Me" (covered, like "Without Love" by Johnny Cash). Next Robyn Hitchcock joined Lowe to a great effect on covers of "Hungry For Love" by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates and "If I Fell" by The Beatles. A thunderous and incessant 5-minute clapping and howling was rewarded by quick versions of "7 Nights to Rock" and "Heart Of The City" as the second encore.
Now I want to see Nick Lowe with a band. Badly.
It's with a band that I'd prefer to see Robyn Hitchcock. As I prefer his more rocking material from the '80s and am less familiar with his more Syd Barrett type acoustic folk material, I didn't know most of the songs he performed during his equally solo acoustic set. Hitchcock was in fine vocal form, eccentric as ever in his between-songs banter, and clearly glad to be back in San Francisco, since he announced he was playing mainly songs he had written or recorded in the city. He was a good pairing for his old friend Lowe: one white-haired man whimsical as a kid, another white-haired man charming and distinguished. (And yes, I am aware that I used "charm" or "charming" about 4 times in this review.)
Not to forget that it's a Sunday under covers, under red button you can find Lowe's neat cover of The Uniques' "Not Too Long Ago" from At My Age (unfortunately not part of his live set).
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