Performing without a band, Kweller jumped between an acoustic guitar and piano throughout the show, his constant comments and conversation maintaining an intimate, laid-back atmosphere, perfect for the small venue.
The songs were played with an enthusiasm that truly brought them to life, always offering more than a simple recital of the studio versions. This was helped significantly by a distortion pedal, allowing Kweller’s acoustic performances to become heavy, fuzz-covered rock-outs.
“Commerce, TX” and “The Rules” offered a back-to-back blast of energy and a glimpse of raw, older material, Kweller kicking the pedal board for a distorted solo before jumping back into the main riff of “The Rules.”
The middle of the set consisted of a long run of songs performed on piano.
The bouncy, rollicking “Hospital Bed” contained hooks as catchy as a Beatles song and “Gossip” became a sing-along with the entire audience. Love-song “Thirteen” provided a quiet, tender moment, with a crisp harmonica solo cutting like a knife.
“Make It Up” was performed by request and quickly turned into “Fight,” Kweller stretching the verses out of time and eventually inserting an unexpectedly rowdy, distorted guitar solo in the middle, very different from the studio track’s pedal-steel.
The audience was typically older, most attendees probably most familiar with Kweller’s older albums. Regardless, two new songs were performed with scorching fervor before the set’s end. As though to prove his knack for combining songwriting and catchy, energetic song structures hadn’t diminished since Sha Sha, “Jealous Girl” and “Mean To Me” were buried in piercing fuzz, Kweller using quick shifts in dynamics between each section to keep things lively.
“Wasted & Ready” was a predictably huge set-closer, the backing band again amply replaced by a fuzz pedal during the choruses.
Sha Sha’s “In Other Words” was a perfect encore choice, the dramatic piano ballad building slowly to its boisterous bridge.
A short tease of the first verse of “Magic” followed on piano, Kweller’s response to someone yelling it out throughout the night. After giving up on “Magic,” Kweller played the intro to “Penny On The Train Track” on the keys before quickly switching to acoustic for the remainder of the song.
Playing a 21 song set list entirely solo is an impressive feat, yet Kweller managed to go far beyond the simple recitation of his already-impressive catalog of songs. Despite not selling out the venue, Kweller proved he is among the best singer-songwriters present today, his pop-sensibility and genuine passion as apparent as ever.
- Alex Wood
Set list:
1. Things I Like To Do
2. Commerce, TX
3. The Rules
4. Full Circle
5. Run
6. Hospital Bed
7. Gossip
8. Falling
9. How It Should Be (Sha Sha)
10. Thirteen
11. Make It Up
12. Fight
13. On My Way
14. Lizzy
15. Sundress
16. Jealous Girl
17. Mean To Me
18. Wasted & Ready
Encore:
19. In Other Words
20. Magic (tease)
21. Penny On The Train Track
