Paul Weller Plays Final Night of L.A. Residency
HOLLYWOOD: The Modfather revisits his greatest hits for the last set of his three-gig stand.
By Spin Staff 02.06.07 4:00 AM
Looking dapper as ever, complete with Rod Stewart-inspired 'do, Paul Weller did a bang up job of rocking the crowd on his third and final night of residency at the Avalon Hollywood. Mods and rockers young and old lined Vine Street to see Weller perform career-spanning hits in support of his new retrospective, Hit Parade. The Jam/Style Council frontman started off with an energetic rendition of "Peacock Suit" before taking a mellow turn with soft, jazzy versions of "Hung Up" and "Above the Clouds." Show-going anglophiles grooved to the rich, melodic sounds of quieter songs like "The Butterfly Collector" until jolting back into pogo stance at the first chords of more frenzied tunes. During an extended jam, drummer Steve White performed a five-minute solo, bringing ecstatic cheers from the balconies all the way to the pit. A rousing sing-along of "Town Called Malice" closed the performance and sent Weller fans singing all the way back to their cars. SARA TORELLO / PHOTOS BY CURT DOUGHTY
On SPIN.com:
Photos and recaps from all six U.S. shows on Paul Weller's mini-tour, presented by Spin and Adidas Originals
>> Listen to Paul Weller on Napster
We asked: It's 2007 -- mods vs. rockers, who's winning? COMMENT
Name: Clifton J. Weaver
Age: 31
Hometown: La Habra, Ca
Occupation: Office manager
"It's a stalemate."
Name: Chris N. Bradley
Age: 31
Hometown: Santa Ana, CA
Occupation: Landscape Architect
"Mods. Well, maybe mockers!"
Name: Aimee Lay
Age: 32
Hometown: Manhattan Beach, CA
Occupation: Musician
"Mods -- there are Vespas in every commercial. And there's Target."
Name: Dan Electro
Age: 32
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Financial Advisor
"It has always been and will always be the Mods -- born with style."
Name: Fredrick Visek
Age: 37
Hometown: St. Tropez
Occupation: Entrepreneur
"Rockers!"
Name: Tomasina Abate
Age: 35
Hometown: Long Beach, CA
Occupation: Singer
"I think the Mods. The Emo kids are the new Mods with Panic at the Disco, the Killers, My Chemical Romance."
Name: John Bernstien
Age: 42
Hometown: Los Feliz, CA
Occupation: DVD Producer
"Not sure the battle is really between Mods and rockers...its between the real thing and the wannabes."
Name: Brian Knorr
Age: 39
Hometown: Huntington Beach, CA
Occupation: Public Relations
"Mods! The Rockers are loaded in booze and drugs and the Mods are as fit as ever! Oi Oi!"
Putting his back into it, Paul Weller
Weller at the mic
Weller, well worth the spin
Standing tall, Paul Weller
