Schubas is one of my favorite Chicago venues. It has the character lent it by its century old building, a former Schlitz beerhouse, combined with the advantage of a music room separated from the bar area. I’ve seen a ton of great shows there, and only a few times have I had to deal with inattentive or chatty crowds. That boded well for their new venture, Lincoln Hall, a larger venue which used to be the Three Penny Opera. The room itself is pretty basic, a large rectangle with steps leading down to the main floor. I can tell already that they are going to have trouble keeping the steps clear but the friendly security guy at the door did his best. There is also a balcony and they apparently have capacities for each area. So when we left the room to go to the bar he reminded us to come back in his door or risk not getting back in. We stayed near the back of the room at the top of the steps, and I was impressed with the sound and the overall feel of the room. There were two dudes carrying on a very loud conversation next to us, but that was my only complaint.
The Long Winters show at the High Noon a couple years ago still stands as one of my favorite shows there. Two of the three opening bands were terrible, so we ended up drinking too much before the Long Winters took the stage. It’s all a little blurry, but I remember loving their set and went home with a few more CDs. I was looking forward to seeing frontman John Roderick tonight and he did not disappoint. His set contained some new songs as well as requests from the audience, but he also talked, a lot. I didn’t remember him being that hilarious the last time, but tonight I couldn’t stop laughing. He told us he had cut his own hair and had somehow ended up with a modified River Phoenix. Admittedly the long strands on one side did look a little ridiculous, but it was also pretty endearing.
On the first call for requests I said “Stupid” barely loud enough to be heard by the person next to me, but the second time I actually yelled it loud enough that he heard it. Dismissing the other request, he said he couldn’t do “Auto Parts” without an amp, he said he would do “Stupid.” It’s a heart shredding tale of someone who decides to take a chance on telling someone how they feel to avoid the possibility of “if fifteen years from now I see her, and she asks why didn’t it happen between us?” You don’t find out what the result was, but it doesn’t matter. Tonight’s version was surprisingly long for him playing it solo, with an extended instrumental section, but it was fantastic. I couldn’t stop smiling.
That held true into the headliner’s set. The combination of Son Volt’s Jay Farrar and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard (who is billed as Benjamin for anything associated with this record) seems an odd one, but it is remarkable how natural and truly gorgeous their voices sound together. The pair came together while working on the soundtrack to a movie about Jack Kerouac; Farrar paired the iconic writer’s words with original music and Gibbard added vocals. The release One Fast Move or I’m Gone actually goes beyond the scope of music for the movie, including songs that weren't in the film. Most of their stellar collaboration was featured tonight, in a short but remarkable set. As on One Fast Move, opening track “Transcontinental” stood out, but “San Francisco” and “Breathe Our Iodine” were also awesome. Most of the sold-out young crowd was likely there to see Gibbard, but it almost seemed to be the Farrar show. He more than held his own, and maybe picked up a few more fans for his band Son Volt who has seen their popularity level out to a loyal group of fans.
As they took turns on lead vocals, Farrar and Gibbard also switched back and forth between guitar and keyboard. I’ve seldom seen Farrar look like he’s having as much fun as he did tonight, whether it was the material, having someone to share band leader duty with, or just the extraordinary band that backed them. Frequent Farrar collaborator Mark Spencer played guitar, keyboards and most effectively, pedal steel, while hard working drummer Jon Wurster (who sandwiched this tour between ones with Bob Mould and the Mountain Goats) was flawless behind the kit. Judging by the cheers, I guessed that the bass player also hailed from Death Cab (he did). The last couple songs of the night were the biggest surprise. Farrar tapped one of the songs from a solo record; the frequent live favorite “Voodoo Candle,” has been absent from recent Son Volt sets. The reworked version is less tedious than the repetitive original, but it was still a surprise. They saved the best for last with a rocking version of Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” done Jason & the Scorchers style.
The degree to which I enjoy One Fast Move was a surprise, but how much I enjoyed the show may have been an even bigger one. Cheers to Lincoln Hall for being a mid-size venue I will look forward to visiting again.
John Roderick
Jay Farrar * Ben Gibbard
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