Earlier this year when it looked like Jarvis Cocker and Pulp were gearing up for a tour, I told my wife that if happened, I was going to travel somewhere to see them. In my head I thought it would be somewhere in Europe, but it turns out the band booked a few North American dates, and I was able to snag some tickets for last Friday’s show at the Kings Theater in my old hood of Brooklyn. I had seen Pulp just twice before, in 1996 at Irving Plaza and a few years later when they headlined the Reading Festival. 

If you’re looking for a play-by-play of Friday’s show, I’m not going to produce anything near Rob Sheffield’s brilliant and extremely thorough review for Rolling Stone.

And I doubt I can sum up the shows better than this tweet from my former WaPo colleague Dave Malitz. So here are some random thoughts from the show:

• Jarvis Cocker is undoubtedly the best frontman from the Britpop Era, and I don’t think it’s even close. He still has all the moves, from the hip-shakes to his air karate hand moves and if he’s lost a step you wouldn’t know.
• It boggles my mind that he’s turning 61 this week. He’s only five years older than Damon Albarn and four years older than Noel Gallagher but there’s just something about seeing that 6 in his age.
• It’s very hard to nitpick the set they played. The only lull the entire night was the combo of Weeds and Weeds II about halfway through, otherwise it was all gas, no brakes. It was a perfect mix of bangers like “Disco 2000” and “Glory Days,” performance pieces like “This is Hardcore,” older songs  like “Razzmatazz” and “Pink Glove,” and the tender moments of “Something Changed” and “Underwear.”
• F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. is such a show-stopper of a tune. The build up and release is like being in the Sahara Tent at Coachella. And following that with “Sorted For E’s and Wizz” couldn’t have been more perfect.
• Guitarist Mark Webber has to be the most underrated Britpop guitarist. So many amazing riffs, so little recognition.
• “Common People” still hits after all these years.
• The Kings Theater is an amazing venue and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s basically double the size and space of the Warner Theater in DC plus it has a huge GA section down front. It holds 3000+ people but still feels very intimate and was the perfect venue for this show.
• Before the show, the band’s video screen said that night’s show was the 555th concert by the band, which is such a cool little nugget to find out right before the show starts. But I have so many questions. Does this include TV appearances? In-stores? I need to know!
• The new song they played, “Got To Have Love,” was fine but didn’t grab me. They’ve played 3 or 4 new tunes on this short run of dates. Is there a new album coming?

Watch Pulp play “F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.” live at Brixton Academy in 1995 via YouTube:

24 years is a long time between gigs to see one of your favorite bands, but I can honestly say it was worth the wait. And if this turns out to be my last time seeing Pulp perform, this was definitely a great way to go out.

Setlist:
I Spy
Disco 2000
O.U. (Gone, Gone)
Something Changed
Pink Glove
Weeds
Weeds II (The Origin of the Species)
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E.
Sorted for E’s & Wizz
This Is Hardcore
Do You Remember the First Time?
Babies
Sunrise

Encore:
Like a Friend
Underwear
Common People

Encore 2:
Got to Have Love
Razzmatazz
Glory Days

Here are some more photos of Pulp performing at The Kings Theatre on Sept. 13, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Kyle Gustafson.