Paul Weller Rocks Intimate New York City Gig
Paul Weller, the legendary frontman of '70s mod-punk pioneers the Jam and '80s soulful New Wave group the Style Council, played an intimate show Thursday (May 17) at New York City's John Varvatos store, better known to those in the music world as the former home of the influential punk-rock club CBGB.
Upon entering the formerly famous venue, gone is the welcome aroma of 30-plus years of sweaty performances by the Ramones, Television, Blondie and the Talking Heads, among others. However, that didn't stop Weller from delivering a high-powered, no-nonsense set consisting mostly of his solo material.
After an introduction by store-owner / clothing designer John Varvatos and D Generation frontman Jesse Malin, Weller took the stage with his backing band and broke into the title track off his 2010 solo disc 'Wake Up the Nation.' The silver-haired 'Modfather,' as he's known, exuded a youthful energy right from the start.
His set included the songs 'When Your Garden's Overgrown,' 'Around the Lake' and 'That Dangerous Age' off his latest album 'Sonik Kicks,' which debuted at No. 1 on the UK albums chart when it was released in March of this year and earned a stellar review here at Ultimate Classic Rock.
After his initial set, Weller came out for an encore that was made up of two songs from his days as frontman of the Jam -- the band's signature hit 'In the City' and the fan favorite 'Art School.' It was 35 years ago that the Jam performed their first NYC show at the very same venue. Check out more photos from the show here.
Earlier in that day, Weller filmed an appearance on 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.' Check out his performance of the Jam classic 'That's Entertainment' in the video below.
Weller's North American jaunt wraps up with the second show of a two-night stand at New York City's Best Buy Theatre tonight (May 19) and a Toronto, Canada show on Monday (May 21). He'll then hit Europe for a June tour. See his full itinerary here.
Paul Weller Performs The Jam Classic 'That's Entertainment' on 'Jimmy Fallon'