Sometimes all a show needs is a nice guitar, a smooth voice and a pile of good songs. That’s what Nick Lowe brought to Knuckleheads on Thursday night, where a crowd of more than 400 gave him and those songs lots of love and warm ovations.
Lowe, 63, has evolved with much coolness and grace from a pop-rocker to a crooner of sophisticated, contemplative ballads about love, romance and other elements of the heart.
He opened Thursday’s show with one of those, “Stoplight Roses,” a song about an overdue reckoning “If you believe your same-old-used-to-be will see you through / You’ll last about as long as stoplight roses do.” He followed that with “Heart,” a petition to the source of romance, pain and glee: “Oh, heart, there must be no mistake / Beware, special care from the start / Oh, heart, though I’m glad / For the first bit of love we’ve had / Make certain or else you’re gonna break.”
And so it went. Some of his songs are sweet and romantic. Others are biting and snide, like “I Trained Her to Love Me”: “This one’s almost done / Now to watch her fall apart / I trained her to love me / So I can go ahead and break heart.”
“House for Sale” is one of his best, and he delivered it in a voice that evoked its sadness and resignation: “House for sale / I’ll tell you where to redirect my mail / Take a look inside / This is where love / Once did reside.” He is a deceptively smooth singer, his seasoned baritone a blend of polish and grit.
He chatted with the crowd throughout the set, recalling his stellar opening gig for Wilco at the Uptown Theater in December, giving some love to Knuckleheads and leading the crowd into a false sense of superiority by disparaging the “terrible” crowd in St. Louis on Wednesday -- “that half-eaten turkey sandwich backstage had more jump” -- then popping that bubble by admitting he was kidding.
Even his pop/rock songs, such as “Cruel to be Kind,” “I Knew The Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll) withstood the solo/acoustic treatment, more evidence of his long-time talents as a songwriter and lyricist. He ended with something new, “Tokyo Bay,” and a melancholic rendition of something old and very familiar, “(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding;” a song Elvis Costello made well-known. He closed with one of Costello’s best, “Alison.” Appropriate, that was: After all these years, Lowe’s aim is still dead-on and true.
Setlist: Stoplight Roses; Heart; Long Limbed Girl Lately I’ve Let Things Slide; She’s Got Soul; I Trained Her to Love Me; I Live on a a Battlefield; I Read a Lot; Cruel to be Kind; Raining Raining; Crying Inside; Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day; Sensitive Man; Somebody Cares for Me; House for Sale; Without Love; I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll. Encore: When I Write the Book; (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding; Tokyo Bay; Alison.
Eleni Mandell: She opened the night with a 40-minute solo/acoustic set that dove-tailed nicely with Lowe's. And judging by the number of people who lined up to buy some of her older music, she appeared to make a lot of new fans at this show -- recognition well-deserved. Her setlist included "Moonglow," "Who You Gonna Dance With, "Never Have to Fall in Love Again," "Magic Summertime," "Bun in the Oven" and "I'm Lucky."
| Timothy Finn, The Star
Outstanding show. I almost didn't make it but I'm so glad I did. It was fun to watch him playing his solo acoustic show doing tunes I'd seen him do at the Uptown with Dave Edmunds and Rockpile oh so many years ago. Not to mention the great gig he played at the Lonestar in the 90s. Talk about aging gracefully... He is smooth! the "Jesus of Cool" and the "best hair in the business" as Eleni said. I hope he continues to tour and make KC a regular stop.
Posted by: Nivek9 | September 28, 2012 at 01:51 PM
LOL... gotta love anyone who bashed St Louie... what a crap hole that is.
“that half-eaten turkey sandwich backstage had more jump”
Love it!
Posted by: KC | September 28, 2012 at 01:55 PM
"And so it went."
While I realize your grammar was correct in speaking to something in the past tense, you missed an ideal opportunity to reference one of his better songs right there, TF...and So It Goes. ;)
Good review from you and Geordan. Sounds like a great show, wished I could have seen this, but in an ironic twist, I couldn't do the EARLY time this time. Oh well, I'll always have that 90s Lone Star show that Nivek mentioned.
Posted by: pellboy | September 28, 2012 at 02:03 PM
I threw my long-winded recollection of this show out in the 'Under-radar show: Attn. Ween fans' thread earlier this morning, but wanted to reiterate that the fans at last night's show were the coolest. Their love and respect for Nick's music was obvious and Nick seemed to be moved by it, as he probably is anywhere he plays. I also said hello to KMBC veteran Joel Nichols last night, who was in front of me getting an autograph from Nick after the show. Anyway, Nick will probably kid the fans in Denver tomorrow night about what a lousy crowd we were. But he enjoyed Knuckleheads. He said, if I remember correctly, that he has played a lot of Supper Clubs, but that THIS place has some real class! Nick's the man, and I have been listening to the "Labour Of Lust" CD today. I also have the latest CD, so that will be required listening this weekend.
Posted by: Geordan | September 28, 2012 at 02:15 PM
It's amazing just how many great songs he has. I mean, I know he had to cover some of his newer stuff (the setlist seemed really representative of his career), but even with 20 songs performed, the omissions alone (the aforementioned So It Goes, Little Hitler, The Beast In Me, Breaking Glass, Cracking Up, The Rose of England just to name a few others) could have made for a full-blown show in their own right. Damn.
Posted by: pellboy | September 28, 2012 at 02:27 PM
Terrific show with the bonus of a gorgeous night for the outdoor stage. One nit to pick, though: For a guy who possesses such "coolness and grace" to gratuitously bash St. Louis smacks of a cheap bid for applause.
No, he's not the only one as Elvis Costello reportedly did the same to KC *in* St. Louis last summer. Remember, that was right after the grotesquely hot Crossroads show so at least he had a little more to complain about than a turkey sandwich.
And on an even shallower note, Darryl Hall has the best hair in the business.
Posted by: Rick | September 28, 2012 at 02:45 PM
Nick was genuinely kidding about STL. He played it up way to big to have been serious then he proclaimed to be "just kidding, they were great". He was just having a bit of fun.
Posted by: Nivek9 | September 28, 2012 at 03:04 PM
Switch Box Susan would have been fun to hear given the acoustic treatment... "When I'm with you girl I get an extension/And I don't mean Alexander Graham Bell's Invention". Classic... the guy has a great catalog to delve into.
Posted by: Nivek9 | September 28, 2012 at 03:06 PM
FYI, I did hear the 'just kidding' comment, though it sounded like an afterthought. Lowe may or may not be aware of the genuine dislike between the two cities.
And 'Switchboard Susan' is a cover of a song originally written by Mickey Jupp.
Posted by: Rick | September 28, 2012 at 03:22 PM
No one said Nick can't do covers... He did Alison last night. And I got no problem with The Lou...
Posted by: Nivek9 | September 28, 2012 at 04:18 PM
Of course you're right that Lowe can do covers well. The way you phrased it as being part of his catalog could be confusing to some.
Plus, at 63, I doubt that he'd still feel comfortable with that Alexander Graham Bell line.
Posted by: Rick | September 28, 2012 at 04:53 PM
Is anybody else tired of the "acoustic" concert? It's too bad that's the only way to make bank.
I think Tim's whole article is full of Nick references.
"Switchbox Susan" is a song we used to do in a band I was in. It was one of my favorites to do.
Posted by: wadkc | September 28, 2012 at 07:51 PM
I noticed that some kind soul (or two) has put a couple of videos of Nick's songs from Knuckleheads out on YouTube, as well as a couple from opener, Eleni Mandell. Very cool.
Posted by: Geordan | September 29, 2012 at 09:26 PM
This was the first time my wife & I had attended a show at Knuckleheads. What a great night it was. Plus, we were home early even after sticking around & visiting with Nick after the show. I told Nick 'What's so funny bout peace love & understanding' was one of the greatest tunes ever written. He gave Elvis all the credit for pulling that tune out of the "trashbin".
I was wondering who from this blog would be in attendance. I spoke to a really nice guy about Knuckleheads before the show as we waited to get in. Was that you Geordan?
I took a fair amount of pics however I didn't take much video in light of being told by the announcer not to video the performance. I was afraid I might be tied to the train tracks.
Posted by: K | September 30, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Here's a link to a Nick Lowe vid that I just posted on youtube:
http://youtu.be/XNvDlJYhDgU?hd=1
Posted by: K | September 30, 2012 at 11:33 PM
K,
Were you wearing a cap and a jacket with a Rock button/pin on the lapel and asked me about Knuckleheads policy on filming/recording? If so, yep, that was me. If you are the guy, I will say that I've heard them ask the crowd to turn off cell phones and refrain from talking during a handful of shows. I've even heard the announcement about flash photography, but in the hundreds of shows I've been to at at Knuckleheads since 2007, that's the first time I have ever heard an announcement to refrain from filming anything. Unsure why Nick has that policy, but he has the right to request it and all. But it's a rare occurrence at that venue.
Anyway, if that was you I spoke to the other night, it was good meeting you and I'm glad you had a great time and don't worry about being tied to the train tracks. The staff at that place are some of the nicest folks you'll meet at any club and the place is always laid back. As it was your first time there, do check the schedule of upcoming shows and pop back in there soon. I'm looking forward to another old favorite, Steve Forbert, on December 7th. I hope to see you there again (I'll buy you and your wife the first round!) and thanks for posting your video!
Posted by: Geordan | October 01, 2012 at 07:36 AM
"Is anybody else tired of the "acoustic" concert? It's too bad that's the only way to make bank."
There are a few artists that can pull it off to my liking, Nick certainly being one of them, but I sort of agree with what you're saying. Even at my advanced age, I'm a very old school concertgoer (weened in the 70s) in that I like going to shows to knock back a couple of coldies, rock out, dance a little, maybe play some air guitar and basically lose myself in the experience for a couple of hours rather than sit on my hands in rapt admiration. I just get too bored after awhile without a backbeat. Don't mind a short subset of acoustic material during a rock show (Warren Haynes was a great example of this at his most recent Uptown show), but very rarely am I inclined to attend a solo acoustic show. Sometimes I wish I had the patience for it, but it's just not in my nature. I need electric guitars and drums.
Having said all that, Knuckleheads is probably one of the better places for these types of shows because of the intimacy and I hope to catch that Forbert show in December. You just might not want to sit next to the fidgety dude.
Posted by: pellboy | October 01, 2012 at 08:17 AM
To each his own....if it's a songwriter I admire (and it helps, such as in Lowe's case, to have such a great arsenal of songs) I can watch them play a solo set all day. Sure, a band is almost always a better deal, but there's an intimacy to solo shows that can be truly moving. Check out Mark Kozelek's DVD, "On Tour" and you'll see an artist that is truly better alone on stage. I enjoy all of his work, and some of Mark's stuff, be it with Red House Painters or Sun Kil Moon, actually rocks, but his best music is performed alone. So, I am definitely not tired of solo acoustic shows and as I get older, I seem to take more away from them sometimes. Now, if Kozelek (or the great Grant Lee Phillips) will just grace KC with an acoustic show, all will be right with the world.
Posted by: Geordan | October 01, 2012 at 09:12 AM
You're missing one song in your set list. Nick played (at least part of) "What's Shakin' on the Hill" after "Heart".
I agree that the opening act was a nice pairing.
Posted by: Hugh Jas | October 01, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Geordan, yep that was me in the cap & jacket. It's very cool to put a face with your posts. Between you and Tim, KC's got it covered. Thanks for your insight that night in regards to Knuckleheads. No big deal on no video's at this show. Every performer's different when it comes to photography and video.
Knuckleheads is really cool place, so I'm sure we'll be back.
Speaking of acoustic shows vs electric... Ray Davies had a great approach when I saw him in Lawrence a year or two ago. He played 10-12 acoustic Kinks tunes then brought out a band, The 88, to play 10-12 electric Kinks tunes. Very well balanced and quite entertaining.
Posted by: K - aka Kevin | October 01, 2012 at 07:26 PM
Speaking of that sort of acoustic/electric balance (and this might be an extreme example), I'm guessing some other posters may recall this although I'm not sure he played KC on that tour...once saw an acoustic arena show by Neil Young down in Wichita when AFTER a full-blown, 2-hour set of just Neil and his guitar/harp, he SHOCKINGLY (sorry) returned for a 5-6 song encore fronting the Shocking Pinks, his retro rockabilly band that released an album soon after this. Fully into character, they even had an announcer on a video board introduce this "new" outfit. Caught everyone by surprise, but fun stuff and very memorable.
Posted by: pellboy | October 02, 2012 at 08:21 AM
Pellboy, I saw that Neil Young Tour with the Acoustic/Shocking Pinks deal at Kemper. I think it was summer of 83/84. The first two hour set was awesome. He sat down with about 10 guitars surroudning him plus a bucket of water for his harmonica. The second set was schocking, to say the least. But, in a good way. Neil was just being Neil.
Posted by: Joe | October 02, 2012 at 10:40 AM
Your memories are failing yopu guys...
On the Shocking Pinks tour the first set was no where near 2 hours., and he played more than 6 Shocking Pinks songs..... maybe you are doing a test here? Ok I will play too
Anyway.... I was there, had great seasts up front and it was not all acoustic, he also did some "Trans" in there... it was the first time I ever saw an electronic drum kit used live... and he would monkey around with it... get it going... and then start playing.
As far as the Shocking Pinks thing.... I was so pissed off at that sht... but now it makes a cool story :)
anyway... if he had actually played 2 hours acoustice to start with, I would have been pissed... and he played more than 6 Pinks songs.
I think maybe you guys are confusing this show with the Blue notes stop at Memorial hall where Neil came out with the arc of 10 guitars behind him and he and anothar dude played about 45 minutes of mellow Neil songs and then we braced ourselves for the Blue Notes schtick... but low and behold it was all Crazy horse rock and fkn roll... a night that he made Slash (an in the future Slash) look like a mellow fest player.
Neil is one the greatest performers inn the history of the planet, on so many levels. Everyone else pales in comparison
Posted by: Rocket | October 02, 2012 at 10:59 AM
No, not confusing it in my case, Rocket, you just nailed it on my memory loss or in my case, probably some drug/alcohol use. Do remember it was the Kansas Coliseum though so at least there's that. Really had no idea on the timeframes at this point, but do sort of recall it as at least closer to a full acoustic show (hour plus) and therefore a little less animosity from me during the Shocking Pinks set. Do recall the Trans stuff though now that you mentioned it.
Oh and thanks for "ruining" my story with facts. :)
Posted by: pellboy | October 02, 2012 at 12:38 PM
Delayed response to Rick - Yes, you correctly assumed I was unaware that Switchbox Susan was a cover otherwise I wouldn't have included the snippet of lyric. That's one of my favorite lines. I know it's cheesy but I love it. I need to look up the original. Thanks for pointing that out.
Posted by: Nivek9 | October 02, 2012 at 01:02 PM
Oh and thanks for "ruining" my story with facts. :)
sorry PB... ;)
I saw the Shocking Pinks show at Kemper Arena... and I recall paying big money for close seats, something like double face value, so they must have cost $35-40 bucks! Those were the days.
I have seen Neil so many times (10-15 times) and only that one time did it kind suck(but now it is kewl). I even loved the Greendale tour (saw it a Jazz Aspen Snowmass), I thought it was great, and he knew well enough by then to bonus us with some "good ole tracks" at the end to keep us happy.
I swear Neil is the greatest EVER.
After seeing the Central Park thing the other night, man... that ugly old man kicks serious ass.... no one can go from filthy grunge to clean sweet and back again better than Neil... and all for a good cause..... AND Neil never quits, he never stops... he is like the Terminator!!
MUST SEE CRAZY HORSE ON THIS TOUR...
FKG JEALOUS OF LUCKY DUCK NEW,
HE SAW IT AT RED ROCKS!!! MUST SEE... MUST SEE... MUST SEE!!!
Posted by: Rocket | October 02, 2012 at 01:27 PM
Love me some Neil as well although just 4-5 times for me. Saw the Greendale tour at Starlight and maybe because of the venue, the "play" portion sort of worked, but you're right, I'd have been sorely disappointed w/o some nuggets like Powderfinger and Homegrown to close out the evening.
Posted by: pellboy | October 02, 2012 at 01:43 PM
Since my memory failed me so bad, I decided to use the magic of the internet to jog some long dormant braincells. Interestingly enough, the show I saw in Wichita was the very first with the Shocking Pinks set and it doesn't seem I was too far on the amount of songs they played, at any rate, I remembered it as a pretty quick, down and dirty set of 2-3 minute songs. Note the slight differences in setlists, you guys did get "Kansas City" as befitted that outfit.
btw, scroll down to 1983 on attached link and God bless the internet!
http://www.sugarmtn.org/year.php?year=1983
Posted by: pellboy | October 02, 2012 at 02:02 PM
Right on PB, and according to that list (and hell yeah, God Bless the internet) you were actually closer then I was on number of songs. Nice work.
I skipped ahead to 1988 to check out the Blue Notes thing and when he actually switched off the Blue notes thing... and it seems they played the Blue notes stuff up thill Christmas break..and then kicked off the year 1989 (wiping tear from eye, wishing it was 1989 again) in St Louie with the no more Blue notes...next show was KC and he kikced absolute ass.
Neil Young is the greatest artist ever based on Songs/longevity/public good/overcoming personal issues/telling record companies to suck his todger/CSNY/longevity... the man is a living legend. To miss him when he plays your town is to be a moron.
Posted by: Rocket | October 02, 2012 at 03:32 PM
WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!?
1989 Neile Young- 64 shows played, 59 shows recorded...
RECORDED!!!???!!!
ME WANTS!!!! ME WANTS NOW!!!
http://www.sugarmtn.org/getshows_recordings.php?year=1989&flag=3
I WONDER WHERE IN THE WORLD CAN WE OBTAIN THESE RECORDINGS???
Posted by: Rocket | October 02, 2012 at 03:36 PM
Howdy to all.....currently reading Neil's new book while I'm waiting on Pete Townsends new bio to arrive. Every Neil show has simply killed it for me! Overdue to see a show by him.....
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