Rilo Kiley‘s been pegged as the new Fleetwood Mac, thanks to Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett’s solo projects, romantic history and division of songwriting duties. But for the band’s tour-opening show at San Francisco’s SF Weekly Warfield last night (Sept. 6), Lewis and Blake struck a Sonny and Cher note, with Lewis donning a Mermaids-perfect glittering gold minidress and the band treating the crowd to a variety show-like festive evening.
With obligatory shimmering gold curtain as backdrop, the show featured an educational dance lesson (during the band’s shimmy-tastic “Smoke Detector”), metallic confetti-filled balloons (unleashed for “Silver Lining”) and an “I Got You Babe” volleying of hosting duties between Lewis and Sennett. Grand Ole Party and Lewis’ current squeeze Johnathan Rice served as the supporting acts of the night, with Rice closing his win-some-lose-some set by fielding one concertgoer’s “Rilo Kiley!” shout-out with a simple smackdown: “I like ’em too, they’re good. I’m gonna vote for ’em come 2008. Oh yeah, I’m the one with the microphone! Eat a giant dick,” before underlining his in-your-face(!) point by welcoming special guest Ben Gibbard on tambourine for a performance of new song “We’re All Stuck Out in the Desert.”
Rilo Kiley opened their set with old faves (“It’s a Hit” and “Portions for Foxes”) before breaking into new material off their recent release Under the Blacklight. “Breakin’ Up” registered as a set highlight, while “Moneymaker” came with sexing-it-up reinforcements in the form of subtle strobe effects (prompting an offstage Gibbard to shield his delicate eyes). Covering “Rise Up With Fists!” off Lewis’s solo album Rabbit Fur Coat, the band supplied a ‘wish you were here’ Watson Twins moment, but it was their performance of “With Arms Outstretched” and encore “Does He Love You?” that gave the rapt audience their own insight into how it feels to be lovesick for J. Lew.
We asked: In light of the fact that the video for Rilo Kiley’s new single “Moneymaker” is all about the porn industry, what’s the least socially acceptable thing you’ve done for a little extra cash?
