Rilo Kiley’s Reunion Tour Showcases Jenny Lewis’ Vocals and the Joy of Revisiting Emotional Work Years Later: Concert Review
Rilo Kiley made a significant impact on heartfelt millennials during the eight years they were most active in the early aughts. Over four records and scores of high-energy live shows, the group, consisting of singer and rhythm guitarist Jenny Lewis, lead guitarist Blake Sennett, bassist Pierre de Reeder, and drummer Jason Boesel, bridged the emo and indie communities with a unique style grounded in Lewis’ startlingly sincere lyrics and knotty guitars, indebted to indie heroes like Built to Spill.
But like many emotionally-charged groups, big feelings spilled between bandmembers, and they quietly broke up after some live shows in 2008, transitioning from “taking time between albums” to an official split. Luckily, members of the group reconnected during the pandemic, and a lengthy list of reunion shows was set for this year.
Launching the East Coast leg of their tour at the outdoor stage of the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Aug. 30, the group — now with touring musician Harrison Whitford on keyboards and guitars — showed no signs of cobwebs or jitters. Throughout the 90 minute show, the quintet made their disparate sounds flow into a cohesive setlist, with Lewis’ strong vocals stunning the already-rapt crowd.
They opened with a trio of spiky rockers from their first two records, 2001’s “Take Offs and Landings” and the following year’s “The Execution of All Things,” and the band played like no time had passed. But at the show, they sounded much fuller, with Lewis’ vocals taking on a sharper hue. Having built a successful solo career following Rilo Kiley — and putting out more solo records than the band did — she’s kept her voice in top shape. While much of the excitement of Rilo Kiley’s material was the emotion that pushed her voice to the breaking point, she’s now able to belt songs through the night without strain. This was a fascinating way to recontextualize many of the lyrics, with her wide-eyed view of the world now sounding like a cool reclamation of youth.
That was most felt on a pair of standouts from their eclectic third album, the 2004 major label debut “More Adventurous.” On the longing, torchy “I Never,” Lewis writes about finally finding the one. Yet it always felt a bit like cosplay in Lewis’ younger days, while lyrics like “‘Cause I’ve been bad / I’ve lied, cheated, and stolen / And been ungrateful for what I have” sound more lived in these days. Later, in “Does He Love You?”, Lewis sings to a wife as the jilted other woman. But where her character seems lost in the dreams of youth on the record, her voice now has more desperation, reaching and unable to grasp a forever-lost love. It’s as if the songs grew with the musicians, just as they decided to put aside the squabbling of early days and come together again.
Lewis’ bandmates created a sturdy backbone for the songs, with Boesel pounding enthusiastically on his kit and Sennett, looking absolutely giddy throughout the show, attacking his complex riffs and making the most of “Dreamworld” and “Ripchord,” the two songs on which he had lead vocal duty.
It’s hard to predict what the band has next — they haven’t hinted at plans to record anything new. But hearing their catalog in a new context is proof that there is life beyond nostalgia for Rilo Kiley.
But like many emotionally-charged groups, big feelings spilled between bandmembers, and they quietly broke up after some live shows in 2008, transitioning from “taking time between albums” to an official split. Luckily, members of the group reconnected during the pandemic, and a lengthy list of reunion shows was set for this year.
Launching the East Coast leg of their tour at the outdoor stage of the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey on Aug. 30, the group — now with touring musician Harrison Whitford on keyboards and guitars — showed no signs of cobwebs or jitters. Throughout the 90 minute show, the quintet made their disparate sounds flow into a cohesive setlist, with Lewis’ strong vocals stunning the already-rapt crowd.
They opened with a trio of spiky rockers from their first two records, 2001’s “Take Offs and Landings” and the following year’s “The Execution of All Things,” and the band played like no time had passed. But at the show, they sounded much fuller, with Lewis’ vocals taking on a sharper hue. Having built a successful solo career following Rilo Kiley — and putting out more solo records than the band did — she’s kept her voice in top shape. While much of the excitement of Rilo Kiley’s material was the emotion that pushed her voice to the breaking point, she’s now able to belt songs through the night without strain. This was a fascinating way to recontextualize many of the lyrics, with her wide-eyed view of the world now sounding like a cool reclamation of youth.
That was most felt on a pair of standouts from their eclectic third album, the 2004 major label debut “More Adventurous.” On the longing, torchy “I Never,” Lewis writes about finally finding the one. Yet it always felt a bit like cosplay in Lewis’ younger days, while lyrics like “‘Cause I’ve been bad / I’ve lied, cheated, and stolen / And been ungrateful for what I have” sound more lived in these days. Later, in “Does He Love You?”, Lewis sings to a wife as the jilted other woman. But where her character seems lost in the dreams of youth on the record, her voice now has more desperation, reaching and unable to grasp a forever-lost love. It’s as if the songs grew with the musicians, just as they decided to put aside the squabbling of early days and come together again.
Lewis’ bandmates created a sturdy backbone for the songs, with Boesel pounding enthusiastically on his kit and Sennett, looking absolutely giddy throughout the show, attacking his complex riffs and making the most of “Dreamworld” and “Ripchord,” the two songs on which he had lead vocal duty.
It’s hard to predict what the band has next — they haven’t hinted at plans to record anything new. But hearing their catalog in a new context is proof that there is life beyond nostalgia for Rilo Kiley.