Paul Weller delivers incendiary performance at NYC’s Irving Plaza
Review by John Curley
Paul Weller’s current tour of North America brought him to New York City’s
Irving Plaza for a pair of shows on Monday, October 2nd and Tuesday, October
3rd. Weller’s tour is in support of his 13th solo album, which is titled “A
Kind Revolution.” (Editor’s Note: “A Kind Revolution” was reviewed in the
July 2017 issue of GOLDMINE.)
The evening of music at the Tuesday, October 3rd show began with a
very-well-received 30-minute set by the London-based singer-songwriter Lucy
Rose. Rose, who played acoustic guitar and keyboards, was backed by a
keyboardist/guitarist/violinist and a bassist for her performance. She told
the crowd that her father was in attendance, which drew cheers, and
complimented the audience for their enthusiasm after saying that many people
at the show the previous night had talked throughout her performance. Rose
confided to the crowd that it was a huge deal for her to be asked to support
Paul Weller on tour, and she got quite a hand from the packed house at the
conclusion of her set.
After an interval of about 40 minutes, Weller’s intro music, which is The
Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows,” was played, and the crowd cheered loudly in
anticipation of Weller’s arrival to the stage. Weller’s band took up their
positions first, and then Weller walked onto the stage to a massive roar.
Weller, who played electric and acoustic guitars as well as keyboard during
his two-hour show, is being backed on this tour by longtime sidemen Steve
Cradock (guitars), Andy Crofts (bass), Steve Pilgrim (drums), and Ben
Gordelier (percussion) as well as new recruit Tom Van Heel (keyboards). In
addition to working in Weller’s band, Cradock is a member of Britpop
stalwarts Ocean Colour Scene and Crofts, Gordelier, and Van Heel are in the
UK band The Moons.
Weller and crew began their show with a tight performance of “I’m Where I
Should Be” that drew enthusiastic cheers from the crowd. A frenetic take of
the brief “Long Time” followed, and it showed how well this band works as a
unit. A rocking version of “From The Floorboards Up” was next, and the crowd
loved it. The very heavy “White Sky” featured some stellar work by Gordelier
and Pilgrim.
One of the benefits of being an artist with an extensive catalog is that it
allows for mixing old favorites with new tunes, and Weller used that to his
advantage with a soulful version of The Style Council’s “My Ever Changing
Moods” that featured some exceptional guitar work by Cradock. Weller moved
behind the keyboard for the performance of the title track of his 2015 album
“Saturns Pattern” that had the band providing tight backup to Weller’s great
vocal performance. Weller remained on keyboard for a terrific “Going My Way”
that got a nice reaction from the crowd.
Cradock’s guitar work was featured again during “The Weaver.” Weller played
acoustic guitar for a wonderful “Up In Suze’s Room” that had Cradock and
Pilgrim providing outstanding performances. That was followed by a fantastic
version of The Style Council’s “Shout To The Top!” on which Weller again
played acoustic guitar. It received one of the biggest cheers of the night.
“Hung Up” again featured Weller on acoustic guitar as well as some fine
playing by Cradock.
Weller went back to electric guitar for the extended and somewhat funky
“Into Tomorrow.” It was a showcase for the band as a whole, one of the
highlights of the show that gave each member a moment in the spotlight. The
guitar break that featured some stellar work by Weller and Cradock was a
particular favorite of the crowd. And the crowd was very much into the
soulful take on “Above The Clouds” that came next, loudly singing the
“Ohhhh!” backing vocal bit in unison.
Weller went behind the keyboard once more for an outstanding “You Do
Something To Me” for which Cradock contributed some great playing. Weller
remained on keyboard for the quite raucous, very energetic, and funky
performance of the new song “Woo Sé Mama.” During the song, light was
directed at the disco ball on the venue’s ceiling, which led to light
reflected from the mirrors spinning all over the room. It was quite
effective.
Crofts’ bass provided the backbone for “She Moves With The Fayre” that
featured Weller on Telecaster and with an echo effect on his vocal. The
crowd gave loud cheers to the performance of “Friday Street” on which the
band gave an outstanding performance. An extended “Porcelain Gods”
spotlighted Weller’s soulful vocal and tight playing by the band. It had a
very heavy ending that elicited roars from the crowd. An intense “Peacock
Suit” featured quite demonstrative playing by Weller and Cradock on guitars
and Pilgrim on drums. The main set came to an absolutely incendiary
conclusion with a ferocious performance of “Whirlpool’s End” on which the
audience participated eagerly, voicing the “sha la la” vocal part with a
full-throated roar. The crowd continued to cheer loudly as the band left the
stage.
After a brief interval, Weller and company returned to the stage with a
version of “These City Streets” that had a nice groove and highlighted the
work of Van Heel and Cradock. The first song of the night from The Jam made
its appearance with an amazing and very tight performance of “Start!” that
featured outstanding drumming from Pilgrim. Weller went behind the keyboard
and Pilgrim temporarily switched to acoustic guitar for a nice performance
of “The Cranes Are Back” that Weller dedicated to those lost on Sunday night
in the Las Vegas concert massacre. Weller stayed behind the keyboard for
“Broken Stones” on which he gave a nice vocal performance backed by
Cradock’s stellar guitar work. The crowd gave a big hand to “Come On/Let’s
Go” for which Weller returned to guitar and center stage.
Following another brief break, Weller and the band came back to the stage
for a two-song second encore. First up was a rip-roaring take on “The
Changingman” that was highlighted by Weller’s and Cradock’s outstanding
guitar work. The show came to end with a great version of The Jam’s “Town
Called Malice” that featured Crofts’ bass and a terrific effort from the
entire band. The crowd sang along loudly with every word and then roared in
appreciation as Weller and the band took their bows at the end. It had been
one of Weller’s finest performances in New York City to date. At age 59, he
hasn’t lost any of his bark or bite.
The North American tour runs through October 27th and concludes with a show
at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. After a two-month break, Weller and the band
will be doing shows in January in Japan and Australia. In February and
March, they will be performing in Ireland and the UK. Full tour dates can be
found at http://www.paulweller.com/tour.
Paul Weller’s setlist at Irving Plaza in New York City on Tuesday, October
3rd was as follows:
I’m Where I Should Be
Long Time
From The Floorboards Up
White Sky
My Ever Changing Moods (The Style Council song)
Saturns Pattern
Going My Way
The Weaver
Up In Suze’s Room
Shout To The Top! (The Style Council song)
Hung Up
Into Tomorrow
Above The Clouds
You Do Something To Me
Woo Sé Mama
She Moves With The Fayre
Friday Street
Porcelain Gods
Peacock Suit
Whirlpool’s End
Encore 1:
These City Streets
Start! (The Jam song)
The Cranes Are Back
Broken Stones
Come On/Let’s Go
Encore 2:
The Changingman
Town Called Malice (The Jam song)
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