Blacking Out The Friction

HAND OVER THAT RABBIT FUR COAT
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins
w/ Vietnam, Michael Runion
October 7, 2006
St. Paul's Trinity

I've been dying to see Jenny Lewis tour behind Rabbit Fur Coat, because I'm smitten with the album, and have never seen Rilo Kiley but have always wanted to. I missed her first stop through at the Opera House and I'm kind of glad that I did, because last night's show at St. Paul's was one of the best I've seen all year. To begin, I must give props to Against the Grain and Craig Laskey for booking Lewis into the best venue in the city. The religious overtones on Rabbit Fur Coat fit perfectly with the venue.
Arrived early to get good seats, it was general admission. Sat in the 5th row, right off the aisle, perfect picture taking seats, except for the photo ban for the night. It didn't seem to stop people, so I snapped a couple quickly when I could. The rushing made them blurry, so I've posted only the ones that look decent. Michael Runion opened the show. He's Lewis' touring bassist, and performed a 25 minute set of acoustic songs reminiscent of Donovan, but less poppy. Nothing spectacular, but a good way to start the evening. Vietnam was up next and again, I wasn't overly sold by their performance. It's funny, when we first walked into the venue, I noticed this homeless guy sitting in the last pew on the main floor. He looked dirty and disheveled and kind of freaky in a Unibomber kind of way. Turns out he was the lead singer of Vietnam. The band all looked like this; they really took their name to heart and dressed the part of Vietnam vets. Musically, they sounded like southern 70s rock typical of the era. Vocals and lyrics very Dylan like, but musically louder. Didn't blow me away.
The house lights went down shortly after 9pm and Lewis, the Twins and their band popped up at the back of the venue and walked down the aisle singing an acapella version of "Run Devil Run". It was breathtaking and the perfect way to begin her set. Lewis is a natural front woman, she's one of those people that you can't keep your eyes off. Next up as "Big Guns", which showcased how strong her band is. The Watson Twins sounded fantastic too, their backing vocals compliments Jenny's voice very well. The rest of the set was derived mainly from the album, with a couple new tunes sprinkled in including "Jack Killed Mom" and "Fernando". The new material is just as strong as that found on Rabbit, it has a very similar feel, but the writing is more mature. For the encore, Lewis came out solo and formed "Rabbit Fur Coat", then brought out the band for two more songs including an all-star cover of the Traveling Wilburys "Handle with Care" in which Toronto-favourite Feist sang back up and played tambourine. An amazing conclusion to a great night.