EELS always deliver a solid show, but what's in store can unquestionably vary. From a curmudgeon-y E (cane included) touring with a string section, to an all out rock band, the EELS almost defy definition in a live setting. On Saturday night at Terminal 5, we stopped in to check up on E, and unquestionably got a dose of the latter.
E arrived on stage subtly enough, delivering a number of tunes solo, and then with "The Chet" backing him up on pedal steel. Dressed in a white jump suit, a bandana, and a serious beard (think Souljacker-era), and armed with his Danelectro guitar, the first three songs (including "Daisies Of The Galaxy") were quiet, sweet, and understated.
From their, all bets were off, as a full band joined E and The Chet on stage, and they busted into a lengthy and rocking set. They were definitely tightly rehearsed, possibly even to the point of making their onstage antics seem a bit contrived or stilted. Nonetheless, any over-preparation couldn't really stifle the awesomeness of a huge setlist that included killer covers of "Summer In The City", "Summertime", and "Twist And Shout" (which, oddly, had "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" sung on top of it).
The set had moments where it would calm down a bit (a quick stopover for "In My Dreams" and "The Look You Give That Guy"), but for the most part, E was dead set on airing out his rock songs, and we loved him for it. It's been a long time since we've heard the likes of "Souljacker Pt. 1" and "Jungle Telegraph", and they were nicely accented by the band's newer rockers like "Fresh Blood", "Tremendous Dynamite", and "My Baby Loves Me".
At the end of the day, it comes down to the simple fact that we love E, but that doesn't change the fact that one of the things we love about him is his dynamism. It's been way, way, too long since we've seen him put on a rock show this stupendous, and let us tell you: it was well worth the wait.
2 comments:
Great review of a great show. One of my fave parts was P-Boo's homage to himself - hilarious.
E's reached some kind of beard apex, hasn't he?
I completely disagree with that review. E phoned this one in. Where's my paycheck, see you later folks.
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