Gary Louris in-store @ Electric Fetus Minneapolis - 2/23/08

Judging from the couple hundred of people packed into the Electric Fetus in Mpls, i'd say that there's a considerable buzz in the hometown of Gary Louris, whose fine new album Vagabonds was released 4 days before this totally engaging in-store performance. After working with Gary on a few recent radio and video sessions, Jim Boquist once again was on board for this outing. Boquist has played with Gary many, many times over the last two decades in various Jayhawks and Golden Smog settings, but these recent appearances have been truly special. At one point, Gary alluded to something he talked about in an interview with a 60>0 staffer a few weeks ago: Jim was thisclose to being a real Jayhawk on more than one occasion. The mind reels at "what mighta been."

There was also a few nice rounds of reasonably hilarious banter that was a nice counterpoint to the frequently weighty vibe of many of the songs.

Gary: [talking about his new website]... and i've got a blog, too. Blog -- that's a funny word. Jim, do you blog?
Jim: i think you can guess the answer to that question, Gary.

The audience got a generous 7 song serving of stripped down Vagabonds magic. "Vagabonds" and "We'll Get By" sounded especially warm and tasty in this context. Boquist was a perfect accompanist for this set; his harmonies and guitar work was never anything short of superb. He and Gary simply sound fabulous together. The large crowd was attentive and polite throughout this display of stunningly good music. There weren't even any audible catcalls for Jayhawks songs, especially since Gary said up front that he was only going to play songs from the new album.

A strategy that, of course, went right out the window when he stunned a good chunk of the audience with a chilling version of "Listen Joe," the emotionally weighty song he penned with Jeff Tweedy and released on the last Golden Smog full lengther, Another Fine Day (frequent readers know 60>0's views on this overlooked work; i won't repeat myself other than to say that that if you don't like it, you're wrong). Gary prefaced "Joe" with a comment about AFD being "misunderstood"; clearly, the relative failure of that project still weighs on him.

Another gem from AFD was offered up -- a surprising version of "Gone," done slightly more uptempo and in a higher, more "folky" key than the original. "Gone" has shown up a few times in solo Louris sets, but it's still jarring to hear it sans the loops, spooky electronic textures and complex production found on the studio version. Jim claimed that they had just "worked it up" earlier in the day, but it sounded awfully good to these ears. The presence of "Gone" in this setlist also served to provide a critical link to many of the "heavier" lyrical themes found on Vagabonds (and other recent, yet unreleased Louris compositions).

Well i saw you at the station / it was after the election
The downcast, they were calling / your behavior was appalling
At the feet of the blessed / your halo burned my hand
Are you happy were you are?

Well i knew then it was over / when the crowd began standing
You were driving / We were swerving / And the levers began burning
From the mountains to the desert / the search for truth was gone
Are you happy were you are?

And all the alcohol that everyone consumed
Could not erase the the void of emptiness...emptiness
Inside the tomb

Well, the old priest he was praying /
And the young nun she was laying
The drunkard he was drinking /And the young boy he was thinking
For the first time in a long time /He felt the touch of God
Are you happy were you are?

And all the alcohol that everyone consumed
Could not erase the the void of ghosts around the room
Don't look behind the face to see where faith has gone
You know that's only wise for everyone...everyone...holding on

Well i saw you at the station / it was after the election
The downtrod were calling / your behavior was so sad
At the feet of the altar / your halo burned my hand
Are you happy were you are?

Now that i think of it, "Listen Joe" and "Gone" are sorta "new" -- certainly in relation to any Jayhawks music -- so maybe Gary wasn't fibbing after all. :-)

The final song was also something of a surprise, albeit a very welcome one -- "Three Too Many," a song that was originally shortlisted for Vagabonds and is now currently available as a iTunes bonus track. The Syd Barrett meets Byrds glow was surprisingly still very evident, even minus the full electric band that makes the studio version so enjoyable. Gary also played this at a solo show last summer in Paris, so maybe this will also show up in future sets.

After the set, Gary graciously signed stuff and chatted with the fans for a long while. All in all, a perfect way to set the table for the upcoming tour with Vetiver.


Gary Louris (wth Jim Boquist)
In-store performance @ Electric Fetus
Minneapolis, MN
2/23/08

Gary Louris - vocals, guitars, harmonica
Jim Boquist - harmony vocals, guitars, bass

True Blue
She Only Calls Me On Sundays
Vagabonds
DC Blues
Listen Joe
Omaha Nights
We'll Get By
Gone
To Die A Happy Man
Three Too Many