Last night at Asbury Hall at Babeville, Jenny Lewis put on a rocking show for hordes of adoring fans. The crowd was enthusiastic and seemed to be mostly composed of folks who got their indie start in the early to mid 2000’s when Rilo Kiley, Lewis’ former band, was killing it on college radio and pitchfork.com. Lewis has a certain sensibility about her that screams Rock n’ Roll Queen. Her outfit was retro-glam, her hair was stylin’ and she gave the fans a performance to remember.
In 2004 Rilo Kiley came out with the album ‘More Adventurous’ and it remains a Noise Pop, Indie rock staple. It is the album that most people are familiar with and Lewis didn’t disappoint the fans, playing the hit “Portions for Foxes” for her encore. Another highlight of the set was the song “With Arms Outstretched” from the album ‘The Execution of All Things’. There were multiple people with tears in their eyes as Jenny wailed away on the chorus. She is a rockabilly, Dolly Parton-esque star who delves into blues, outlaw country and then saunters back into straight rock with ease.
“Jenny played some new songs from her forthcoming album, which were dreamy and very southern California; they had a Rilo Kiley-ish sound which revealed Jenny’s perfection of her particular Indie rock style”, said Parrish Gibbons Herzog.
Her stage was adorned with bouquets of flowers which she threw into the crowd to the delight of everyone in attendance.
Lewis’ unique voice and smile captivated the crowd. She seemed like she was every woman (and man) in the crowd’s hero and rightly so. She is a former child actor appearing in the 1989 movies “Troop Beverly Hills” and the cult classic “The Wizard”, co-starring with Fred Savage, who was about the biggest child actor ever. She was the cool older girl that every guy had a crush on. I still remember the scene in which Savage is sitting in the rocking chair and she steps on the rocker and brings him in for a kiss. It is memorable and left a big impression on me, but I didn’t realize that it was her in that role until I looked it up today, and it totally explains why I, and everyone else, still has a crush on her. Jenny Lewis is a doll and is truly fantastic.
Lewis has a certain sensibility about her that screams Rock n’ Roll Queen. Her outfit was retro-glam, her hair was stylin’ and she gave the fans a performance to remember. She is a rockabilly, Dolly Parton-esque star who delves into blues, outlaw country and then saunters back into straight rock with ease.
Babeville is a unique and amazing venue, and for anybody who hasn’t been there yet for a show, I urge you to get to one soon. They have a number of very good shows on the schedule for the rest of the summer and fall and a highlight is Yo La Tengo performing on September 13th. That is one to see for sure and one I am very much looking forward to.
See their schedule here.