Timedoor.com Review
By: Don - timedoor.com
Stephen Malkmus and his Jicks returned to Milwaukee last Thursday to play a set featuring zero Pavement songs. Last time they were in town, the band played a set of comprised largely of Pavement songs at Todd Wehr Hall. This night the band started strong with “Dragonfly Pie, “Dark Wave,” “Gardenia,” and “Baltimore.” It was a nice change of pace from Malkmus’ sloppy (but fun) performance at the Pitchfork fest last summer. Having a real band behind him helped Malkmus stay focused; nonetheless, after “Baltimore” the show lost a bit of steam. As a whole, the show was dominated by songs from the new Real Emotional Trash. Pig Lib and Face the Truth fans did not leave empty-handed, however. Two songs from each album were played. After an oddly long encore wait, the band came back on stage to play a Randy California cover, “Run to Your Lover,” and a song I’m having trouble placing (its lyrics include the phrases “kiss a cop” and “sweet elixir”). “Animal Midnight,” from Pig Lib, capped the night. Tonight was the rare night when I was excited to see the headliner and the opener. John Vanderslice and his band played a solid set. If you know his work, you know Vanderslice does not shy away from politics. His new album is titled Emerald City, after all. He introduced “Pale Horse” by saying, “This is a fantasy about murdering our current president.” Surprisingly, nobody reacted too strongly, whether positively or negatively. I don’t have a complete set list, but I can tell you he played “Angela,” “Exodus Damage,” “Up Above the Sea,” “You Were My Fiji,” “White Dove,” and “Time Travel is Lonely.” Then Vanderslice and band did a number without amplification down in the crowd a la Arcade Fire. After the Malkmus left finished, I stopped by the merch table to buy something by Vanderslice. He was standing right there. I gave the money to his merch man and then Vanderslice asked, “Do you want me to sign it?” I’m not normally an autograph seeker, but he was so genuine, I automatically said, “Sure.” (Plus, could I really have said no?). I complimented on that night’s performance of “White Dove” and he seemed sincerely flattered. John Vanderslice: Nicest Guy in Rock 2008? Though its only March, I think we have a contender.
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