Paul Weller Gives the People What They Don't Want in NYC

Michael and I saw Paul Weller on Friday night at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square. Decked out in a pinstripe suit and a blue-striped tie, Paul looked and sounded like a million bucks, as he had when I met him earlier in the week at the WSJ Cafe. While we had a great time -- his backup band was in excellent form and there was even an orchestra section! -- there did come a point in the evening when I started to feel like he was being unnecessarily cruel to his loyal fans.Like any artist who's been around a long time -- much less one that released his first album in 1977 and has essentially put out a new record every other year since, not to mention hundreds of b-sides -- I realize it's impossible to please everyone. Especially if you're an artist who detests nostalgia.

But to play some 34 songs -- including opening with your new LP, "Sonik Kicks," in its entirety, 14 straight with not so much as a "Hello" -- and then to still barely touch on any of your older material did seem rather mean-spirited. Not only did he ignore all but one of The Jam's legendary hits -- the ballad "English Rose" was thrown into the acoustic set, and the No. 1 "Town Called Malice" was in the encore -- he did ZERO songs from the Style Council years (my personal favorite). I've seen him throw "Shout to the Top" in before, but nada this night. And even if you wanted to argue that "it was a Paul Weller show," he only did TWO songs from his own best-of CD(!), which essentially turned the show into a solo album-tracks showcase.

(Speaking of cruelty to his fans, was it completely necessary for the woman on my right to spend the entire evening taking PHOTOS with her gigantic iPad? The light was a nagging distraction, but more than anything I just wanted to pull her aside and say, "What is WRONG with you?") 

As fanatical as the crowd was -- there were Weller-emblazoned Union Jacks hanging from the balconies -- this decision frequently alienated them, and they started to talk and get restless. This, of course, had me screaming inside to myself: Why not do "Going Underground"? Why not do "That's Entertainment"? Why not do "Eton Rifles"? Why not do "Start!"? Why not do "The Bitterest Pill"? Why not do "Beat Surrender"? You have the ability to make 2,100 people EXTREMELY HAPPY, yet you're choosing not to. I'll never be a legendary musician , but I truly do not understand what they get out of not giving their fans what they want -- especially after they had been so incredibly patient during a 45-minute opening set of your new album. Oddly, just like when we saw Paul in 2008, one of the highlights of the show wound up coming from the audience instead of the stage. This time, these three overly excited brothers were just being completely and utterly obnoxious -- bumping into everyone and turning a camera on themselves to film themselves "at the show," paying no attention to how rude they were being to those around them. A former colleague of mine named Joe happened to be standing near us -- we didn't know each other, but he recognized me and we started chatting -- while these shenanigans were going on. The next thing we knew, Joe grabbed one of the brothers like a rag doll and shoved him across the floor, instructing him to stop acting like an asshole. (The guy's defense? "Come on, bloke. We're British.") It was one of those "My Bodyguard" moments where you see how the other half lives -- those who aren't too weak and too scared to stand up for themselves. It's not that I'm advocating violence, but this asshole needed to be straightened out -- and Joe was just the guy do to the job. Everyone in the area thanked Joe, and treated him like he was a hero! (You may recall nearly the EXACT same thing happened in 2008 back when the place was called the Nokia Theater.) I'd be lying if I didn't say this was more entertaining than large chunks of the concert.

In the end, Paul (wisely) ended the show with an "In the City" / "Art School" one-two punch, from the Jam's debut, and everyone went home happy. Still, I'm not sure I will be returning anytime soon. Even the "Jam" and "Style Council" nights he promised at Irving Plaza back in 2007 turned out to be misrepresented, a handful of old songs and then a lengthy solo show, which proves you can never go home again -- especially if Paul's the one holding the keys.

P.S. Here are clips from when I met Paul last week.

Paul also did a special show at the old CBGB location, now home of John Varvatos. Here's a clip of him performing "In the City" and "Art School":

More photos and setlist HERE.