Singer and songwriter Jenny Lewis last appeared on the ACL stage in 2005 with the band Rilo Kiley for a memorable show that opened our thirty-first season. So we were pleased to welcome her back, this time under her own name, for a sparkling show full of smart pop gems.
Reaching back for a quick history lesson, Lewis and her five-piece band opened with the shimmering country rock of “Silver Lining” from the Rilo Kiley catalog. The song boasted a classic 70s singer/songwriter vibe, which she carried over to other rootsy tune like “Late Bloomer,” “You Are What You Love” and the Linda Ronstadt-like “Rise Up With Fists.” The country/folk elements took a back seat on other songs, with the midtempo pop of “Slippery Slopes” and “The New You,” the sweetly charming “Love U Forever” and the devilishly catchy “Head Underwater” drawing from familiar but less obvious sources. The brash “The Moneymaker” and “The Next Messiah,” on which the band was joined by Lewis’ frequent collaborator (and beau) Johnathan Rice, found her comfortably embracing louder rock & roll, a thread she continued with the climactic shuffle “Just One of the Guys.”
Backed by her bandmates surrounding a single mic, Lewis ended the main set with her acoustic guitar for the beautiful, hymn-like “Acid Tongue.” After blowing the audience a kiss, she exited the stage to wild applause. But it wasn’t over yet – the crowd response was so eager she came back with a guitarist and harmony singer for a folk take on Rilo Kiley’s “With Arms Outstretched,” which the audience greeted with cheers from the first line. It was a great show, and we can’t wait for you to see it when it airs early next year on PBS.