Last night was an event that was about ten years in the making. I say this because Jarvis Cocker has not played America in that time, and this was my first time seeing the man in action. Yes, he’s done the occasional DJ night, but if anyone has ever seen him in concert, there is a total difference. Barring some technical difficulties, Jarvis took the stage a little after 10pm last night with a full band, including ex-Pulp bassist Steve Mackey.
Within minutes of the energetic opener, “Fat Children,” it was obvious what a performer Jarvis is in person. Seriously, the dude oozes charisma out of every single pore on his body. It’s something that is really hard to explain and it needs to be seen to believed. What makes Jarvis such a frontman is that he owns the stage. While his band-mates were amazing and talented beyond belief, Jarvis’ witty antics (ranging from stories about chewing gum to getting dripped on in New York’s subway) and almost choreographed dance moves make you keep all eyes on him. How a man in his 40s can stand on monitors, jump with high kicks, and still manage to sing without being winded is beyond my comprehension. Also, it was nice to see him interact with the audience. Whether it was through making eye contact the whole night with people, or throwing out mementos from his pockets, Jarvis still has it. Playing almost all the tracks off his self-titled solo debut, he managed to pull out two covers to end his encore, Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and The Talking Heads’ “Heaven.”
We are rolling over to tonight’s show as well, so rest assured you will be hearing a lot more of Jarvis soon. Check out some photos and set list from last night below.
Set List:
“Fat Children”
“Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time”
“Heavy Weather”
“One Man Show”
“I Will Kill Kill Again”
“From A To I”
“Tonite”
“Big Julie”
“Disney Time”
“Big Stuff”
“Cunts Are Still Running The World”
Encore:
“Heaven”
“Paranoid”
+++
“Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time” MP3
Jarvis Cocker
20 Minutes With Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis album review
