Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer

A.C. Newman
Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
Saturday, March 21, 2009

Going to see an A.C. Newman solo show is kind of like having your favorite cake, only with a slightly different frosting. It had many of the things you'd expect from a New Pornographers show, just with a slightly different texture. There was a slightly oversized band, infectiously catchy pop songs, and even a red headed singer/violin player that if you squinted really hard looked a little bit like Neko Case. Even if you had shown up expecting Vancouver's pop laureate to play a Pornographers track or two, it was hard to walk away disappointed. Opening with Get Guilty's "There Are Maybe Ten Or Twelve" and closing with The Slow Wonder's "Town Halo," the setlist was culled exclusively from his two solo albums. The show may have been slightly shorter, slightly more eclectic, and slightly less raucous than your typical Pornographers concert, but it certainly wasn't any less fun.

It was also the first concert I've ever been to in Nashville where I didn't recognize a single soul. But even with a lot of the usual suspects being in Austin for SXSW, it was a good sized crowd, if not a full house. In fact from a fan perspective, it was perfect. There were enough people there that you didn't feel bad for the band, but there was still plenty of elbow room, even down in front.

A.C. Newman - "Submarines Of Stockholm" (mp3) from Get Guilty

photo by Tanya Wright, lovingly stolen from Nashville Cream