BritPopCornucopia #4: Wellermania!

In an act of sheer caprice, I decided to buy tickets to see the ever-amazing Paul Weller at Irving Plaza in New York. "New York?", you may wonder. But yes, it is true. Longing to see him live for quite sometime, I seized on an opportunity to buy presale tickets for an evening from his one shot, three-night gig in NYC.

Perennially Cool

Then

and

Now

Undoubtedly this will be a legendary set of shows. While featuring hits from many points in his discography, each night puts a spotlight on a different segment of his illustrious musical output. The first night emphasizes the Jam, the second focuses on The Style Council (which I am attending), and the final evening is a comprehensive retrospective. Some of the material that he will perform is likely to have not been performed live in the U.S. for 20 or more years, until this round of live shows which promotes the release of his career-spanning box set.

The timing was absolutely too good to be true. Right when I have had a personal resurgence of Weller fandom, he launched these very special live dates, and they coincide with my journey to Cape Town. As such, around January 22nd I will be flying out to New York and spending a week there with one of my best friends. At the end of the week, on January 30th, I will catch Paul Weller's show, and probably leave the next day directly to Cape Town.

Whirlwind as it all seems, I can hardly believe I 've taken up the jetsetter's mantle. But this show and getting to see one of my dearest and oldest friends all at once was too good to pass up.

Whoever says that rock stars are a sorry sight when they age, those leery of latter-day concerts from supposed stars of a bygone era, will, I hope, be proven wrong. As far as I can discern Weller is still the consummate performer. And, I would venture he has improved vocally with age. For someone like me who was not even born when The Jam broke up, I would not have been even old enough to see Paul Weller play in those early "glory" days. Thus, given his continued reputation for being even better live than in the studio, and the fact that he and his music have somehow managed to age gracefully in an industry that is generally unkind to its elder statesmen, why should I deny myself a chance to see him live?

In honor of this Wellermania! I have linked here an hourlong documentary about Paul Weller. For the uninitiated this is a perfect introduction. Even if you are not into his music (though I don't know if any readers who have reached the end of this post aren't), I hope it will at least foster in you an appreciation for his artistic process and his intelligence.

For fellow fans, just sit back and enjoy.