If you’ve ever had an album that served as the soundtrack for a difficult period in your life, then you know how deeply connected to a song you can feel. Even sweeter is hearing that song performed live when you’ve made it through to the other side, if not happier, then stronger.
By Debra Penberthy
Last Thursday night, within the embrace of the beautifully gilded walls of the Fox Theater in Pomona, I had such a moment. Seasoned performer and brilliant songwriter, Jenny Lewis in her opening act for Grammy-nominated Ryan Adams, wowed the crowd with tunes off of her new album Voyager and took us on a tour through her earlier solo catalogue and that of her recently defunct band Rilo Kiley.
Toward the end of her set, accompanied by clearly beloved collaborators, she performed my most cherished song of hers: the title track off of her 2008 release Acid Tongue. This song, like so many of Jenny’s can bring tears to your eyes while simultaneously forcing a laugh; she gets the complexity of human relations and the tricks our minds play on ourselves, and she sums this up in story songs with the best of any in the business. She’s the embodiment of tough beauty and one of the most natural performers you’ll have the pleasure of seeing. Never shy about addressing controversial issues such as gender roles, she’s getting a lot of play for her new track “Just One of the Guys,” a wryly funny feminist anthem packaged in a pop song. Watch the official video for this song, which includes Jenny Lewis’ Hollywood friends Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, and Brie Larson.
To hear Jenny Lewis at her heartbreaking best, listen to “Acid Tongue” here.
Finally, to catch a show at the Fox Theater, an Art Deco beauty that’s not too far from Pasadena, check out their lineup.
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