Lily Allen at the Fillmore

I am not going to hide it, i absolutely loathe Irving Plaza which most of the time i refer to as "Irving Pit." Climbing the stairs up to last nights show with The Bird and the Bee and Lily Allen the ONLY things that have changed about this newly named venue are the posters on the wall from past Irving Plaza events, some red curtains against the right wall, and a large black and white photo of Bill Graham (who is probably rolling over in his grave, poor thing). It was the first music venue i went to when i first moved into the city, basically because at the time i didn't know any better. I will admit, i have seen some pretty amazing artists there but now that i have learned where the real music venues are i only go back to Irving Plaza when i absolutely have to: when artists i truly love are performing there.

That being said, dear dear Lily, i hope you never perform there again. Or any other band that i love for that matter. You could do better! Last night marked the third time i have seen Lily and as usual she was very entertaining and well worth the ticket. The Bird and the Bee were a welcome addition to the night with a very solid opening set. The audience gave them their polite attention but it was pretty obvious that most people did not know who they were. This should not be taken as an insult to the band at all...this audience barely seemed to know who Lily was. In comparison to Webster Hall where almost everyone was singing along, dancing and having a good time last night's crowd was standing- completely still- for the most part (with the exception of a very loving group of fans near the front). Honestly surprised by the lack of enthusiasm for someone so spunky and full of energy i had to remind myself that this is the type of audience this venue attracts. Most of the fans seemed only to take note of her songs that have hit the MTV circut. Lily was everything you have heard about her live performances and just as good as her Webster Hall show. This NYC appearance marked her last date during her extensive US tour yet she still joked around and took her time on stage, making sure to introduce her band and chat about previous cities she had visited thus far. Displaying her lack of affection for Philadelphia, her distaste at our current political and environmental state, her love for New York ("it is the best place in the US!") and a cover of 'Life is a Gas' it was enjoyable just to see her. I am excited to see her again and just hope, dearly, that it is not at the 'Fillmore.'


***Culture of Me*** has a lovely review with photos, check it out as well.