It was about 8:30 PM when I walked by the subway station that would have taken me home and away from Nick Lowe's 9:00 performance at City Winery last night. I hadn't felt great, and though I was just a hundred yards away from the venue, I was ready to blow it off. But I didn't and I'm glad.
For 80 minutes, Nick Lowe honored the mostly attentive crowd with song after brilliant song, engaging yet brief between song banter, and a voice which was not at all "wonky" as he claimed.
I don't believe the acoustic set was much different the sets he has been playing the last 5 or so years, but it's been longer than that since I had seen him, so when he played, "I Read A Lot," a new and unrecorded song, I was not part of the majority who had heard this very special piece of music before.
Yes, last night's performance was near-perfect, but right now, I am all about "I Read A Lot."
Here is a video from 2008. You'll have to trust that it is indeed Nick Lowe on the stage, as the video itself is not that great. But the audio is, and that's what counts.
Two more songs, that to me complete a trilogy of genius and melancholy that I will go on record as saying, are worthy enough to be included on a list of greatest songs of all time, "Lately I've Let Things Slide" and "What's Shakin' On The Hill," follow.
Please enjoy all three.
8 comments:
Hmm. As luck would have it, Lowe's playing in my neck of the woods Friday night. Tickets are still available and I don't have any other plans, so...
I saw NL at Zankel Hall last year... & I couldn't agree more. Just superb. So rare that one person with a guitar can hold an audience so completely.
We'd never heard "I Read a Lot" before that night either... what a masterpiece. Anyone who's a fan of brilliant songwriting and has missed Lowe's last few albums should check them out. In fact, I think Yep Roc has packaged his last 3 discs as a set...
I love Nick Lowe, he's a solid songwriter with a great sense of writing heartbreaking tunes.
Joe from Saddleriver
Was he accompanied by Bill Kirchen?
I've only seen Nick alone, I'm curious to hear about him with another guitarist.
Might go tonight...
One song at the end.
Hey Sal, Good to see you Tuesday night.
Here's my shot of the new song (others forthcoming).
Dave
http://www.youtube.com/results?uploaded=d&search_query=nick+lowe&search_type=videos
Great Dave! Best audio yet. Thanks for that and good seeing you too.
Had to make a tough financial choice, Nick Lowe / Bill Kirchen or Richard Thompson at the City Winery....went with the latter next week...no wrong choices, only tough ones...
Sal, didn't you say " way back when " Little Village ( Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Keltner ) would be the next " super " group i.e. Beatles, Stones,The Who, The Band, The Byrds etc.?
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