Hey folks,

Just returned from seeing Michael Penn live in Minneapolis. Other than his
Acoustic Vaudeville show with Aimee Mann a few years ago, I had never seen
Michael in concert before. He played acoustic guitar, with only pianist
Jebin Bruni (also Aimee Mann's keyboardist) accompanying him. There were
about 60 people in the audience.

His demeanor was kinda serious, and his inter-song banter was lots of
anti-Bush commentary. He couldn't see anyone in the crowd due to the
lighting, and he seemed a bit frustrated with his inability to connect with
the audience. 

Despite his dissatisfaction with the stage environment, he had an excellent
show. His voice was pitch perfect, and he's one of the best rhythm
guitarists I've ever seen. Really cool guitar arrangements, with great riffs
and voicings throughout. And Jebin's piano playing was fantastic as well.

One of the most interesting parts of the show was that he opened with the
old Gospel tune "Down by the Riverside." I was surprised at that
choice....but, he played it great, and put a political spin on it after the
song. 

Here's the set list...forgive me if I get song titles incorrect:

Down by the Riverside
Out of my Hands
Goodbye Sally
Bad Sign
High Time
Look What the Cat Brought In
Me Around
You Know How
In the Meantime
Bunker Hill
Don't Let me Go
Walter Reed
Brave New World
+++++
Without You
Try
No Myth

He played quite a few tunes from his upcoming new album (which comes out in
August), and they sound great. More accessible than his last couple albums,
I think.

Go see him!

Jonathan Rundman
http://www.jonathanrundman.com