Stephen Malkmus at ‘Third Avenue’
Posted on March 20th, 2008 – 1:14 PMBy Chris Riemenschneider
Not sure if it was another instance of him trying to be cute or a real slip of the tongue, but Stephen Malkmus commented how great it was “to be back at Third Avenue” last night (he was performing at First Avenue, of course). If it was a slip-up, then it was just one of many in the rather sloppy and haphazard set. That’s nothing new from the former Pavement frontman, whose old band I saw perform five times, and only one of those gigs I’d actually qualify as “good” (but nothing stronger adjective-wise). The couple of post-Pavement gigs I’ve seen him play with his band the Jicks weren’t any better.
I had higher hopes for Wednesday’s gig, though, considering his new album “Real Emotional Trash” is a real winner, and he has a rock-solid new drummer in his band now, Janet Weiss (ex-Sleater-Kinney). But it was more of the same. “Pencil Rot” had to be started over. He also botched the opening riff of “Baby C’Mon.” And several songs were just plain stagnant. There were some charming moments, though. The crowd helped turn “Baby C’Mon” around, singing the title hook each time. A couple of the new songs were tight and strong, too, including “Elmo Delmo” and especially the title track, which the band turned into a bursting jam.
What did you think of the show? Has the charm worn off on Malkmus’s fumbling rock? Or is the fact that he’s not Yes or ELP the point?
8 Responses to "Stephen Malkmus at ‘Third Avenue’"
He originally said First Avenue, but then changed his greeting to ‘Third Avenue…Third Avenue Pizza’ which seemed to be some kind of band inside joke because they laughed while the crowd didn’t (perhaps they just had some of the ‘famous’ inhouse pizza before the show.) But he definitely said First Avenue originally(he should know, he’s played the venue enough over the years-and I’ve seen him every time.) I think anytime you see Stephen Malkmus, the term ‘tight’ is never going to be used to describe his set-he’s always played it loose, and last night was no exception. I do think his great guitar work was the centerpiece of the show, he really makes it look so effortless to get those sounds out of his instrument. I was pleased with the setlist as well, drawing quite a few songs off his solo debut(Jo Jo’s Jacket and Church On White were real standouts for me) and the new songs took on a vibrancy hearing them live for the first time. I thought the show was fun-you’re never going to get perfection when you see Stephen(even in his Pavement days) and if you expect that then you are bound to be disappointed. But he and the band were in good spirits(especially after seeing the Twolves win over at the Target Center before the show) and the loose energy of the songs reflected that. A great show, in my opinion.
Who?
What the hell kind of critics are you two idiots?
It was my first time seeing Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks and I would say the show was good but not great. Although it certainly had its moments. “Real Emotional Trash” was great “Baby C’mon” was fun and the setlist was a good mix of songs. To me SM came off as a guitar geek who’s also the lead singer. It was definetly well worth my time and money. I really enjoy their new album which may have set my hopes for the show a little too high. Also, not to pull a “Bream” and dare to compare two acts, but I saw Bruce on Sunday which can make for a tough act to follow.
Ralph, I think there’s a Bon Jovi thread a few down from here that has your kind of people.
Ralph,
Don’t take the comments personally. Night Thief is one of those “kooky” liberals who feels special because he can name off a bunch of no talent ass clown musicians to show how diverse he is.
I think he still has his neato Devo hat too.
Pavement has been around forever and despite the concert review, the album has been pretty highly acclaimed by Rolling Stone and other reviews I’ve seen so it’s not a completely obscure band reference. I think I was about four years old when Devo were popular so I wouldn’t have a Devo hat.
I never get it… People don’t go onto the Timberwolves blog and say, “Who?!” If you’ve never heard of the players, then go to another blog if you’re really that desperate to make yourself feel heard.
(And I honestly believe that more Twin Citians under the age of 40 could tell you who Stephen Malkmus is than could name a current Wolves player).
i gotta agree with Chris, pretty disappointing show…
super sloppy, borderline drunk, and just didn’t seem to care. his attitude certainly didn’t help the lethargic crowd. they seemed bored stiff other than a few songs.
i made it to the encore, but that was mostly just to watch Janet Weiss’ amazing drumming (the one highpoint of the show for me).
i’ve seen Stephen solo 3x now, 2 were great (the last one before this First Ave show being opening for Radiohead @ Alpine Valley), but this one was pretty undercooked. was the tour opener, so hopefully it was a fluke.
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters
