Concert Review: Jamie Lidell at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA

Hidden behind a spaceship of electro-gadgets, backed by an 80s-style light-show, while his beats were innovative and designed to propel a crowd, even from the front row I wasn’t quite feeling the initial connection to the artist – it felt more like going to see a DJ set than to see someone who’s got pipes like Prince or MJ.  The show didn’t really pick up until a few songs in when Lidell liberated himself from behind the enormous metal lab at center stage, swaggered along the front stage line, and sputtered sweat all over me and my fellow front-row compatriots for the smokey “What Is It This Time?”  To be clear: this is not a complaint.  On the contrary, the audience was never quite so alive as when he was right up on top of us, balancing cool jive with soulful fervor.  By the time he hit the encore he was cutting loose on the floor in our ranks, featuring audience members on verses for “Mutiply,” and engaging the entire audience in call/response for “Big Love.”

One thing about a Jamie Lidell live set is that you’ve got to go in with a jazz ear – it takes a bit of discerning to figure out how what you’re hearing relates back to any album version you’re familiar with.  He likes to improvise, and while some of the newer songs were mostly true to album form, a lot of the older tracks were twisted into mosaics of familiarity.  Makes setlist tracking tough, but it sure lends for a more exciting dance party, anyhow!

(Loose) Setlist:

1. I’m Selfish
2. A Little Bit More
3. You Know My Name
4. What Is It This Time?
5. The City
6. Blaming Something
7. You Naked
8. Your Sweet Boom
9. Music Will Not Last
10. *Compass segue*
11. What a Shame
12. She Needs Me
13. Don’t You Love Me
14. When I Come Back Around
15. Another Day

Encore:

1. Multiply
2. Big Love