It’s not often these days that I go to a show and I am one of the younger people in the crowd. But that was the case last week when the indomitable Paul Weller performed at the Lincoln Theater. Weller — The Modfather, The Changingman, The Cool Before the Warm, The Calm After the Storm — was touring the US for the first time in seven years and had a backlog of new material to promote.
Since his last US tour in 2017, he’s released four albums — 2018’s True Meanings, 2020’s On Sunset, 2021’s Fat Pop, and this year’s 66.
At the Lincoln Theatre in DC on Sept. 11, Weller touched on the latter three albums over the course of his massive 30-song set, while sprinkling in songs from throughout his career. The crowd, full of men with gray hair (which includes me, not throwing any stones here), seemed up for his work with The Jam and the Style Council more than his solo work, which surprised me. “My Ever Changing Moods” was played early in the set and had the entire crowd on their feet. They were still standing a few songs later when he dropped “Headstart for Happiness.” Fans of The Jam were satiated by “Start” late in the set and the 1-2 show-closing punch of “That’s Entertainment” and “Town Called Malice.”
I tend to favor Weller’s solo work as that was my gateway into his oeuvre. At 17 albums (!!!), it is easily his longest and deepest collection of songs. And his work rate churns out a new album every few years. So if you, like me, didn’t vibe with Fat Pop, just wait a bit and a new album will be out and you can try again. I have recently reconnected with 1992’s Stanley Road so I was thrilled when he played the title track and “Porcelain Gods” in addition to setlist staple “Broken Stones” and “The Changingman.”
Watch the official music video for “The Changingman” by Paul Weller on YouTube:
I suppose if you were to lay any criticism on this performance, it would be that the set was filled with mid-tempo, contemplative songs but those are specifically the type of Weller songs I adore so I was in heaven. Give me “Out of the Sinking”, “Wild Wood,” “Above the Clouds,” and “All The Pictures on the Wall” every day of the week. This type of songs shines on 66, so hearing “Nothing” and “Rise Up Singing” was a treat, as was the rockier “Soul Wandering” and Noel Gallagher-penned “Jumble Queen.”
Paul Weller constantly amazes me with his workrate, fearless ambition, and the quality of his output this late into his career. He’s been releasing music since 1977 and he’s constantly pushing himself into new areas. Not all of his experiments are successful, but that is by no means a bad thing. I’m hard-pressed to think of another artist doing it better than him right now.
Setlist:
Nova
Cosmic Fringes
Soul Wandering
My Ever Changing Moods
That Pleasure
All the Pictures on the Wall
Headstart for Happiness
Stanley Road
Glad Times
Have You Ever Had It Blue
Village
Fat Pop
Hung Up
Shout to the Top!
Broken Stones
Rise Up Singing
The Pebble and the Boy
Nothing
Out of the Sinking
Above the Clouds
Jumble Queen
Start!
Into Tomorrow
Peacock Suit
Encore:
The Changingman
Porcelain Gods
Wild Wood
Rockets
Encore 2:
That’s Entertainment
Town Called Malice
Here are some more photos of Paul Weller performing at The Lincoln Theater on Sept. 11, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.
