Nick Lowe with Ron Sexsmith at Fine Line Music Café on 9/29/07

By: David de Young

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Nick Lowe at the Fine Line - Photo by David de Young

Considering I almost decided against going at the last minute, looking back on Nick Lowe’s performance at the Fine Line from the following day I can’t imagine my life without having seen it. Lowe’s performance Saturday was a reaffirming show for many of the music fans in attendance (both the young and old), it was one of the better live performances I’ve seen lately, and it was certainly one of the best of the singer/songwriter-with-just-an-acoustic-guitar-type shows I've seen in a long time. I might have to go back to the first time I saw Martin Sexton or Jose Gonzales at the Cedar Cultural Center to come up with an experience that was as powerful for me as an audience member.

Ryan Adams could learn a lesson or two about respecting the entertainment dollar from Nick Lowe. The elder statesman of pop stopped a couple of songs into his set to thank the audience for coming, acknowledging he was aware there were a lot of ways people could spend their money, that there were a lot of other shows in our town that night, and that we even had the option of staying at home on the couch. There was no question that Lowe knew he was there to entertain, and he delivered.

I only caught the end of opener Ron Sexmith’s set, but the Fine Line was thoroughly wrapped in his songs when I entered the club. I wish I’d been able to catch more of the 41-year-old Canadian songsmith, but I was able to enjoy the last few songs, including set closer “Imaginary Friends.”

Nick Lowe opened with “People Change” from his 2007 Yep Roc release At My Age. (Speaking of which, Lowe is now 58 – for reference, that’s the same age as Bruce Springsteen.) Last time Lowe was in town I commented on his almost senatorial dignity, comparing him to Walter Mondale. On this trip, Lowe was wearing the pressed white shirt and dress slacks he has been wearing on his 2007 tour dates, looking even more like a visiting dignitary than the last time he was in town.

The first half of his 20+ song set included several other songs from his new disc including “Long Limbed Girl” and “I Trained Her To Love Me,” and familiar older songs like “I’ve Let Things Slide” and “Has She Got a Friend?”

Nick Lowe at the Fine Line

About 8 songs into his set, Lowe stopped and said it was time to “open the doors and let in some pop,” as if he’d been indulging himself with the first few songs. The folky “Indian Queens,” felt just as fresh as when he played it on his 2004 visit. The next few songs made an already thoroughly enjoyable concert all the more memorable. Lowe’s “Cruel to be Kind” comes off with such alive richness it’s hard to believe he’s been playing the song since 1979. Another pleasant surprise (especially oldsters like me) was “Heart,” a Rockpile song from 1980.

The thing about Lowe that makes his concerts such rewarding experiences lies in the way he presents his material so directly, with the utmost care and professionalism, that you sense his awareness of you as an individual audience member. And he treats his songs with the same respect. To see him smile at the applause (and raise his hand to seemingly wave it away) at the end of each song, you can tell how much he enjoys touring and playing for people. His enjoyment is contagious. And he’s one of the people who with just an acoustic guitar can give you a terrifically rich musical experience.

Lowe was joined on stage by Ron Sexsmith for one of the encores, “Heart of The City,” and the “Beast In Me” which he performed solo. Though this was pretty much the same set he’s been performing all tour, I’m told that his final song, Moon Mullican’s “Seven Nights To Rock,” was an additional encore to his Milwaukee performance the night before.

Setlist:

People Change
Soulful Wind
What's Shakin' on the Hill
Long Limbed Girl
Lately I've Let Things Slide
Has She Got A Friend
All Men Are Liars
I Trained Her to Love Me
Indian Queens
Cruel to Be Kind
Heart
Man That I've Become
Hope For Us All
Without Love
Rome Wasn't Built in a Day
Shelley My Love
I Knew the Bride (When She Use to Rock and Roll)
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?
Heart of the City
The Beast in Me
7 Nights To Rock

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Location Info: Fine Line Music Café
Artist Info: Nick Lowe, Ron Sexsmith

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