Paul Weller - International Arena, Cardiff - November 27th 2010 (Live Review)
Monday, 29 November 2010
Written by Dave Ball
2010 has been quite a year for Paul Weller with latest album ‘Wake Up The Nation’ earning him rave reviews as well as a Mercury Music Prize nomination and now a UK wide arena tour to close out the year in style.
An expectant crowd at the CIA were treated to a set that lasted just short of two hours by the Modfather who rattled through songs ranging from the Jam’s very first album through to tracks from his latest solo offering in a packed 29 song set.
Weller’s audiences have aged along with him over the last thirty years or so but there’s still an expectant buzz around the arena as the lights dim and the band jog onto the stage ripping straight into the new album’s opening track ‘Moonshine’ and following up with the foot stomping ‘From The Floorboards Up’ taken from 2005’s ‘As Is Now’.
Warming the crowd up with four newer tracks and then the under-rated ‘Woodcutter’s Son’ the crowd erupts with the first Jam track of the night, a raucous ‘Eton Rifles’ suitably aided by a soaring Union Jack lighting set up.
A selection of newer tracks follow, along with an under stated version of debut solo single ‘Into Tomorrow’ before the dancing shoes are back on for The Style Council’s ‘Shout To The Top’.
Throughout the main set Weller’s versatility as both songwriter and singer are evidenced, no more so than in the quite beautiful ‘Trees’ where he begins a four track stint behind the piano. It’s during this mini set that we are treated to a superb drum solo from Steve Pilgrim which punctuates ‘One Bright Star’.
With guitar back on and returning to the front of the stage the main set is closed with a bang, new tracks ‘Wake Up The Nation’ and ‘Fast Car/Slow Traffic’ showing Weller can still rock before back to back Jam hits send the crowd into a frenzy. ‘Pretty Green’ and ‘Start!’ preceding ‘Echoes Round The Sun’.
Expecting more of the classics to come there’s a sense of disappointment when the first track played is another newbie, ‘Andromeda’ but following up with ‘Broken Stones’ gets any drifters back onside before the surprise of the night. From The Jam’s debut album the band tear into ‘Art School’ to a huge roar from the older fans with the encore closing to ‘Come On/Let’s Go’ again proving his newer material can stand alongside the best of his previous work.
A second encore containing three absolute classics ends a thoroughly engaging night of entertainment. Back behind the piano for ‘You Do Something To Me’ followed by a personal favourite of mine ‘The Butterfly Collector’ and then closing on ‘Changingman’.
Many may feel disappointed by the amount of newer material played but for me the balance was pretty much spot on. Yes, spreading the hits out a bit more may have cut into some of the lulls in the crowd during the newer tracks but this was a tour to promote the new album and the quality of the performance of, not only Weller but his superb band are sure to have sent people away to purchase ‘Wake Up The Nation’ which is surely the point of the tour.
Stereoboard Gig Rating: 9/10
Set-list:
Moonshine
From The Floorboards Up
22 Dreams
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Woodcutters Son
Eton Rifles
7 & 3 Is the Strikers Name
Into Tomorrow
Paper Smile
Aim High
Up the Dosage
No Tears to Cry
Shout to the Top
Trees
Invisible
One Bright Star-drum Solo
Pieces of a Dream
Wake Up the Nation
Fast Car/Slow Traffic
Pretty Green
Start!
Echoes Round the Sun
Andromeda
Broken Stones
Art School
Come On/Let's Go
You Do Something To Me
Butterfly Collector
Changingman
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Warming the crowd up with four newer tracks and then the under-rated ‘Woodcutter’s Son’ the crowd erupts with the first Jam track of the night, a raucous ‘Eton Rifles’ suitably aided by a soaring Union Jack lighting set up.
