The downside of catching a phenomenal showman every time they come to town is that you begin to build up expectations, and as a wise man once said, expectations are a bitch. Jamie Lidell's past performances have only steered me closer to this inclination, since he has done nothing but move the bar upwards at all three shows I've been lucky enough to witness. Going into the fourth, I foolishly expected to see Jamie push it even higher, but instead, I got a good show instead of a great one. Then again, a "good" Jamie Lidell show is another artist's "great." Bear that in mind as you continue reading.
Before Jamie came Zeus, a foursome from Toronto that sounded like Abbey Road-era Beatles and Hall & Oates (well, for one song at least) all cloaked in power-pop. It didn't feel new, but it was pleasant, especially since I love me some Abbey Road. The nod to that particular record came in both a sweet (slightly psychedelic) sound that recalled the English countryside and their high harmonies, which were delivered by two members huddled around a mic. The mic wasn't all they shared though: instruments, vocal duties, everything was up for grabs to everyone except for the drummer; he had to stay put. The rest of the band members drifted around and sang their songs, either with guitar in hand or behind the Rhodes, an instrument that added even more '70s to the proceedings. The rest of their set drifted between pop (of the AM radio variety), blue-eyed soul, and rockers that were on the softer side of the spectrum (huggable music). The diversity of styles helped them over the hump created by the lack of innovation, as did their onstage demeanor, which showed them to be lighthearted guys that love what they do. Not a bad opener.
Jamie Lidell's set was a lot like his latest album, Compass, in that it was an experimental affair that was both loose and interesting. Some of it fell flat, some of it soared high, but it was all left out there for the audience to absorb and interact with. Jamie said somewhere in the set that his approach to the album and a lot of his songs is to try new shit, because you never know what's going to end up being great. It's a fine way of looking at the world, the negative side being that sometimes you don't succeed, but the positive side is sometimes you really do. A quick scan of the crowd said his ratio of success far outweighed his failure rate, and I think that's where I stand, too. I, like some of the others, preferred some of the more groove-based and/or soulful tracks like "Where D'You Go?" and "The Ring," but his reaches were pretty stellar, too. Take the opener, "Compass," which is a long, sidewinder of a track that begins with a soft croon, picks up into a place of heady, musical chaos and then returns to the safeness of the croon, all in the name of telling someone that they are your guiding light, your compass. It was a good opener, because it laid out the lay of the land before the rest of the show started. During our time with him, we would be exposed to the sweet, the sour, and the dissonant, but in the end--when it had all come full circle--we would be wrapped up in something that left us feeling secure about our choice to attend. Jamie knows his way around a setlist.
And in general, that setlist would be culled from his latest release, only deviating when he wanted to showcase a few of the aural gems from his back catalog. "Multiply" was an obvious crowd-favorite, full of singing, dancing and a smiling Jamie. In fact, pretty much the whole concert was filled with a smiling Jamie. He seems to relish his role on stage and spent just as much of his time conversing with the audience in a stream of consciousness type speech pattern as he did busting out those powerful pipes. Most songs were dedicated (I even got one dedicated to me) to things like commitment ("Enough is Enough"), your bum ("Your Sweet Boom") and to anything else that came to him at the time. At one point, he thanked us all (starting with his traditional opening of "ladies and gentleman") for coming, especially all the Mad Men fans in the house. Apparently, Jamie was a little torn up ("gutted," as he put it) about missing the Don Draper saga and the exploits of his favorite character, Peggy. We all laughed because while he might be a talker, he's a witty/interesting talker, and like some of the old soul-legends he seems to channel, he also has that same gift of making the audience feel right at home.
The other standards you can expect from a Jamie Lidell show reared their heads, as well, including the crazy outfit (last time it was a fruit roll up suit with Lanvin sneakers), which consisted of a black blazer with some form of thick, fishing net sewed onto it; the funny expressions he makes at you; and my personal favorite, the impromptu beat creation segment of the show. Every time I've seen him, from the first time at Sasquatch '08 to today, he has always set aside a certain part of his show for the purposes of crafting a beat from scratch. He does this by pressing random buttons on his samplers and looping his voice. Historically, they've all been extremely upbeat, straight sizzle, but this time, Jamie decided take a more reserved route. He began slow with a simple beatbox, layering the sounds with his voice, until you couldn't tell where the loop ended and he began. Then he added the rhythm, which took the form of vocables, shouted and sang at random intervals. Then echoes, then heaps of bass until suddenly this cascade of noise had permeated the air. It wasn't his best, but it was fun, and I'm sure it's always something that hooks new fans into the fold. I know it got me.
Two things took away from the show, though:
1) Jamie never takes a tight band out with him on the road. Maybe it's because he likes that this can turn the stage into a technical minefield or because this makes perfection impossible. I understand that, but he needs musicians around him that can match his vocal abilities with their instrumental prowess. At the very least, he needs a horn section!
2) There's too much Compass in the set. Because it's a hit-or-miss album, the chances of producing a hit-or-miss show are increased. The tour for JIM was much more energized and playful, but maybe I just miss the horn player. That said, Jamie and his band make even the so-so songs on Compass a million times better live. Take "I Wanna Be Your Telephone." On the album, kind of boring. Live, it features a huge jam section that features the two percussionists (one drummer, one multi-) doing what they do best: making grooves. This frees Jamie up to bang on the keyboards along with his keyboardist or to tweak nobs on his giant mixing board for spacey effects that add new levels to the funk being created around him. And while playing some of these songs is not a complete wash, they can be, at times, noticeably sub-par when compared to tracks like "Another Day" or "When I Come Back Around."
So, should you go to a Jamie Lidell show? EVERY SINGLE TIME HE COMES. That's the god's honest truth of the matter, and the reason is, while this might have been my least favorite of Jamie's shows, it still was a lot of fun, it still left me in awe of his talent, and it still makes me want to see him again. I just pray he has a horn band behind him, because only that would top the memory of seeing him belt out "Out Of My System" while dancing next to Janelle Monae. Actually, that probably can't be topped. Never mind.
Setlist:
Compass
Gypsy Blood
Another Day
<Impromptu Beat Creation>
When I Come Back Around
The Ring
Coma Chameleon
Enough Is Enough
Where D'You Go?
I Wanna Be Your Telephone
Your Sweet Boom
All I Wanna Do
Multiply
Encore:
Unknown Song
Little Bit Of Feel Good
