post brought to you by: dyson
When I bought tickets to go see Jon Brion at Largo (audio warning on the link) in LA did I expect to see a good show? Absolutely. Could I ever imagined the night of music I had in store for me? NOT. A. CHANCE.
Jon came out to a stage full of gear to perform a show he puts on every Friday night. It was incredible. He ran around that stage in his tan, pin-striped suit like a musical madman. His brain tossing and turning, wondering what instrument and song to do next. Did he have a show put together? Yes. But MAN is he one who can improvise at a moments notice. (hence his SPOT ON cover of Don’t Fear the Reaper in the style of Les Paul)
The crowd was small, maybe 100 of us lucky souls in the room. He performed like he was in a studio full of gear, layering together the most brilliant compositions I have ever heard. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
During the middle of the set he called off stage “Hey, wanna come out?” Well, guess who decided to join the fun. Fiona Apple. Good lord was she amazing. Shaking, vibrating, gyrating, banging her head constantly. The Fiona fan I brought with me sobbed her way through the set. It was that intense.
And just when you thought that was enough, guess who else decided to join the fun. JOHN PAUL FUCKING JONES. Yep. He just came out of nowhere to play bass on a few tunes. WHAT!!??
As if that wasn’t enough, after the show was finished, 50 of us were invited over to the Little Room to watch more. We all expected Jon to continue on as the tiny stage was setup with his guitars and piano. Did we get this? No. Disappointing? NOT IN THE LEAST.
In walks a bunch of guys carrying acoustic cases and started preparing next to the stage (as we sat 5 feet away from it, tripping over their cases) The band? The Punch Brothers. I have had the pleasure of recording Chris Eldridge before in my small Boston apartment. Chris and Jon joked about his stunning Martin acoustic, and then they took stage. Also should I mention who is in the Punch Brothers? Chris Thile. He will blow you away. I promise you.
The sound they produced was nothing short of brilliance. Jon sat in the crowd hooting and hollering “More! More! More!” Fiona stood next to the bar stomping and hollering at them. (for such a small woman she sure has a mean stomp) No one in the room could believe what was happening. Unassuming D’angelo, Radiohead, Cardigans covers flowed out of their instruments with so much beauty.
Fiona was called up to the stage like she was some shy girl who was honored to be performing with them. From 5 feet away I got to witness her incredible passion for performing. She sang and performed like it was a room full of 50,000. (I was just nervous she was going to punch someone else on the stage besides herself!) Jon ended the night playing one song with them because he was the only one in the room who could remember the turnaround to the tune they wanted to play! Incredible.
I could go on and on and on… But I hope you get the essence of what I got to experience during my last night in LA. So for anyone who lives or visits LA, put a trip to Largo on your list. If you come back disappointed? Well… Chris Brown was playing around the corner. Maybe you would have enjoyed that a bit more…
I am one man who writes (pretty poorly) about music because I love it. I study, play, produce, engineer, analyze, and obsess about music. Enjoy all the topics I can muster up to write about.
As the girl who wept through miss fiona’s set, I can’t help but chime in. I’ve not had nearly as much musical experience as matt here, but I can say two things.
This was by far the most memorable / thrilling musical experience of my life, and those 5 hours will quite probably hold that position permanently. (Obviously a fiona apple fan—a piece of “sleep to dream” tattooed on my side.)
To feel music that was played with vigor, passion, intensity and love displayed that night is hard to describe. But… my equation might be something like finding the sun on a 60 degree day while sitting on black asphalt that’s been baking for an afternoon—it’s quite warm, especially with your eyes closed… easy to consciously recognize how delightful the moment is… and all while quite badly not wanting time to pass which would break the splendor.
I could say I would love more experiences like this. But then again… too many could get crowded, and I’d like this one to stick around.
This exact point you make references an earlier post of mine about bands throwing in the towel after an amazing album.
I want to go back to Largo tonight. But at the same time I don’t. If I go back I wonder if it will ever be the same as what we witnessed.
I want to let that evening simmer with me for a while and just remember it with a smile and chills.