[DID NOT ATTEND: May 20, 2022] Jens Lekman [original show was cancelled, so technically not rescheduled from April 19, 2020]
I have really enjoyed Jens Lekman over the years. His Tiny Desk Concert is tremendous. He was even the subject of a request in an episode of Every Little Thing, a podcast that S and I really like. (A caller could not get a fragment of a song out of his head and it was one of Lekman’s).
I have been wanting to see him for a while and this show with a local youth orchestra sounded kind of fun.
Jens Lekman originally announced a unique North American tour where he’d perform with local youth orchestras in various cities for 2020, but the dates were put on hold because of the pandemic. He’s now announced new dates for the tour, beginning this April and running through May. He’ll be joined by violinist Leslie DeShazor for the shows. “This is a tour that I have been working on and looked forward to for almost four years,” Jens writes. “The idea originally came to me in 2015 when I was invited to Cincinnati to perform a show with a group of young string players from the organization MyCincinnati. The show ended up being one of the most memorable moments of my whole career. The energy that is present when a young person is still exploring and mastering an instrument is something I’ve always been drawn to. As someone who’s been playing music more or less professionally for over 15 years I often have to go back to this youthful source to remember and learn. To let the students become my teachers.”
It’s unclear to me whether Leslie DeShazor played a set before or was a featured part of the orchestra.
After blowing off some shows that I had wanted to go to, I’m not sure why I blew off this one too. I really should have gone as this review for another show (from Spectrum Culture) makes it sound like it was really great
Lekman, backed by violinist Leslie Deshazor, a bassist and a drummer, more or less opened for himself. Coming on promptly at 7:30pm, Lekman began the show with an acoustic version of “You Are the Light (By Which I Travel into This and That)” before welcoming the Portland chapter of the Bravo Youth Orchestra onto the stage. Flanked now by Deshazor, his band and cadre of young string players, Lekman played six more songs from various corners of his career from “Black Cab” to “The Opposite of Hallelujah.” This portion of the set felt jubilant, propelled by the energy of one young violinist in the front who could barely contain his excitement, jumping up and down when not playing.
After the young folks received a standing ovation, Lekman and company took a 30-minute break before returning to play 13 more songs. The set moved from quiet romanticism (“Julie”) to an out-and-out dance party as people flocked to the front to groove along to “Maple Leaves” and “I Want a Pair of Cowboy Boots.”
Union Transfer feels a little big for this event, but I’m sure it was lovely.
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