Lulu's Downstairs

A guest 100% for Freedy Johnston · Fri, 08 Sep 2023

This was my first time at Lulu's and, in a span of nearly 30 years, my sixth time seeing Freedy, the third time as a solo act, and with such beautiful melodies and poetic lyrics there's really no such thing as a bad Freedy Johnston show. With that being said, it seemed like, as much as ever, Freedy appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself and the performance, and his playing and singing reflected a confidence and comfort that contributed to what was the best of the three solo performances I've experienced, the last one being about 15 years ago. Perhaps some of this was motivated by the fantastic sound and ambiance of Lulu's, which was a hugely pleasant surprise to me. I hung out at the upstairs bar and enjoyed a great Japanese meal beforehand, and despite tarrying a lot longer than I had intended, still managed to find a seat when I finally went downstairs just as Freedy was taking the stage. He sang new tunes off of his current release, all of which sounded reliably excellent, and blended in many favorites including his "hits" (e.g., "This Perfect World" and "Bad Reputation") along with a nice selection of others, several from "Can You Fly": "The Lucky One" and the final two songs, "Responsible" and "Mortician's Daughter", three out of a string of consecutive songs on that album that are as strong as any ever recorded. Freedy was genuinely funny in his between-songs patter, and the tone and quality of his guitar playing and voice have never been better. A wonderful evening, and I'll be keeping an eye on the Lulu's lineup so that I can return ASAP!

▲ 1 ▼ 3 years ago reply report