Jens at the Secretly Canadian headquarters, photo via the label's twitter
I first found out that I couldn't attend Jens Lekman's New Year's Eve show in Chicago, I was pretty heart-broken. I wondered why he couldn't just play a show in Bloomington before or after that date. After all, he is on local label Secretly Canadian and sometimes comes to Bloomington just to hang out and get away from city life(see: Russian Recording Opening Night '08 post).
Luckily for me, Jens ended up playing a secret surprise show at The Bishop this past Wednesday and was I ever thankful.
I wasn't sure how many people were going to come the show, so I insisted on going early despite my friends' dismay. While there weren't many people there when I arrived around 8 pm, there was a line going down the block by the time the concert was about to start.
Local band Tammar opened up the night with one of the most heartfelt performances I'd seen yet. There was a good handful of people that chose to sit down during their set, which was strange since the room was packed. As Tammar began to tear down their equipment however, everyone moved forward to get closer to Jens.
The first song that Jens played was one that I wasn't expecting, a cover of a Scout Niblett's "Your Beat Kicks Back like Death", which he originally covered on a Secretly Canadian compilation CD. The song may have seemed like a strange one to start the night off as the lyrics repeatedly say "we're all gonna die", but Jens said it with a smile on his face and it didn't seem sad, but was rather inspiring and comforting. There is a strong bond that Jens evokes with his music and this cover seemed to reiterate that.
After playing a few more songs that I was unfamiliar with, Jens explained to the audience that he was trying out songs that he rarely plays, as a way to practice for his New Year's Eve show in Chicago. While this was a special treat in itself, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed that he didn't play many crowd pleasers. Not that I wasn't happy with the show, but I have to admit that I was dying to at least hear "Black Cab" or "I Saw Her in the Anti-War Demonstration".
The crowd was a lot more upbeat than the last time I saw Jens play and the concert even turned into a semi-dance party by the end of the night. Jens also played with a full band, which included a horn section that consisted of two local musicians. This made for a much louder and full sound; my ears were ringing for days after the show, which leads me to believe that I should either stop standing in the front-row at concerts or start remembering to bring ear plugs. I think I'll choose the latter.
Ear damage or not, Jens is one of my favorite musicians and I can't wait to see him again. It was a wonderful a night and a nice post-Christmas surprise.
Here is the set lit as was written on a piece of paper that I snagged off Jen's keyboard:
Your Beat Kicks Back Like Death
Happy Birthday, Dear Friend Lisa
The End of the World is Bigger Than Love
Argument with Myself
You Are the Light by Which I Travel (Into This and That)
I Don't Wanna Die Alone
New DIR
Golden Key
The Opposite of Hallelujah
Open
Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song
Into Eternity
Sipping on the Sweet Nectar
xoxo,
Katie
