Jens Comes Alive...

JENS LEKMAN

FONDA THEATRE

06 NOVEMBER, 2012

Jens Lekman scaled up for the Fonda Theater, bringing back a full band.  Last time out, he appeared with just a drummer, doing an intimate evening of the songs that would form the spine of his newest LP, I Know What Love Isn't. The new work is a focused look at the dissolution of a relationship, and stands as Lekman's most accomplished work, transitioning him from a short story writer to a novelist, as it were.  His unstinting eye for detail has always been his forte, and it only gets sharper as time goes on.  His band set the mood with a beautiful instrumental take on "Every Little Hair Knows Your Name", then Jens joined the action for "I Don't Know What To Do With This Information", going on to include another new song, "Golden Key", that he's been doing for the last few tours



When the mood tended to get too heavy, Jens dropped in chestnuts from the past, inciting a full-out Fonda dance party with "Sipping On The Sweet Nectar" and "Sweet Summer's Night On Hammer Hill".  His best loved set pieces, "Black Cab" and "Postcard To Nina" made appearances late in the set to enthusiastic approval, and Victoria Bergsman, (ex Concretes), came back out to aid on a cover of Neil Young's "Lotta Love", drawing more directly from Nicolette Larson's version.  Jens reached deep for the encore, essaying "A Pocketful Of Money", engaging the audience to carry the vocal part that was a Calvin Johnson sample in the original, which they did with gusto.  Coming back alone, Jens closed the evening with an acoustic rendition of "Every Little Hair Knows Your Name", bringing the perfect circle to a close.
Support for the evening was provided by The Big Search from LA, and Victoria Bergsman's project, Taken By Trees.