By: Alex Wood
Violent Femmes rarely tour these days and seem reluctant to play regular venues when they do. But with a new record out, We Can Do Anything, the band is playing two nights in Chicago, at Concord and The Vic.
Known for their eclectic and strange instrumentation, innocent, oddball lyrics and an intense delivery, the shows have garnered a dedicated following over the past thirty years.
The new album is the band’s first full-length since 2000’s Freak Magnet. Since fans typically regard the Femmes’ first few albums to be their best, the audience at Concord was surely pleased by the set, which focused heavily on their early years.
Opening with “Blister In The Sun” is a great way to start energy high, but moving immediately into “Kiss Off” is enough to excite any fan.
Freak Magnet’s “Rejoice And Be Happy” was performed before another song from their debut, “Confessions.” The band then moved on to fan-favorites “It’s Gonna Rain” and “Country Death Song,” each from the band’s sophomore release, Hollowed Ground.
In the end, the band only performed three songs from We Can Do Anything, though two songs from last year’s Happy New Year EP were performed as well.
But even those unfamiliar with the newer material could enjoy it wedged between classics like “Prove My Love,” “Jesus Walking On The Water,” and “Gimme The Car.”
The band finished the set on a stellar run, performing “Gone Daddy Gone,” “Black Girls,” and “American Music.”
The encore was less predictable, beginning with “I Hate The TV,” a song only released on a compilation in 1993. The band then played the opening track to the new album, “Memory,” and the always-explosive “Add It Up.”
In the end, the Violent Femmes did a great job of balancing the new material with the classics that fans realistically expect, offering a little bit of everything and avoiding becoming a nostalgic act.
Read the setlist below and watch the band performing a wild rendition of "Add It Up."
Setlist:
1. Blister In The Sun
2. Kiss Off
3. Rejoice And Be Happy
4. Confessions
5. It’s Gonna Rain
6. Country Death Song
7. I Could Be Anything
8. Prove My Love
9. Good For/At Nothing
10. Love Love Love Love Love
11. Jesus Walking On The Water
12. Issues
13. Old Mother Reagan / Freak Magnet
14. Gimme The Car
15. I Held Her In My Arms
16. Gone Daddy Gone
17. Black Girls
18. American Music
Encore:
19. I Hate The TV
20. Memory
21. Add It Up