Rilo Kiley @ Slowdown

A friend of mine introduced me to Rilo Kiley about a year or so ago, throughout several “sessions”. This friend seemed to have a very similar musical taste as I, and therefore was always open to suggestion. At the time, I enjoyed the sound and have since added a couple of their studio acts to my eternally growing collection. So, with little hesitation, when they announced a two show run in Omaha, I quickly jumped on it and purchased a pair for each night. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the second night, but then again was able to spread the wealth to my buddy who tuned me into Rilo Kiley, as he was without tickets to either of the sold out shows.

May 20, 2008 was the first of the two-night run of Rilo Kiley with supporting acts Nik Frietas and The Spinto Band at Slowdown in Omaha, NE. I did not know what to expect for the night considering I had not heard of the two opening acts and even with my prior knowledge, was new to Rilo Kiley live. One positive aspect of the night was that every act I have seen at the Slowdown had successfully hooked me on their music, and I was hoping this would be no different. I would surely be an interesting night, but I will get to that in the future.

I showed up to the show a little late, just to catch Nik Frietas finishing up his set. He was accompanied by bassist Pierre de Reeder and Jason Bosel on drums, both of Rilo Kiley. His sound appeared to be quite mellow, mostly songwriter driven. After only two songs with California native Nik Frietas, the set ended and I found myself trapped amidst several teenage girls awaiting the artists to follow. Basically I was living a nightmare!

The Spinto Band wasted little time in preparation for their set. The sextet from Wilmington, DE was filled with simple guitar riffs that in the long run came together for a hearty sound. Sporting three guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and a guy on keys, The Spinto Band offered up a fast paced show, which seemed to perfectly offset the mood in the venue brought on by Frietas. They were able to maintain the attention of the audience throughout their entire set, in part through their interesting stage acts which included instrument swapping and kazoo solos. All in all, The Spinto Band was able to keep the crowd going in anticipation of Rilo Kiley and was definitely the biggest surprise of the night as their music seemed to be more up my alley. Between their stage antics and music, it made for a fascinatingly fun opening act.

As stated previously, I’m not the most educated when it comes to Rilo Kiley, and therefore had absolutely no expectation for what the night could bring and knew that there was a possibility of this show coming off either way. Lead vocalist Jenny Lewis, the obvious center of this band, has quite an amazing voice. This was duplicated quite well live, but the one thing that I guess I was not expecting, why I don't know, was 400 18 year old girls screaming Lewis' every lyric into my ear. There were points in the show where the exceptional vocals on stage were instantly shattered by the high pitched roar behind me. Aside from the side chatter and karaoke going on around me, Rilo Kiley seemed to have a decent stage presence about them and was instrumentally sound, particularly in the percussion department.

The set continued much in the same, with Rilo Kiley playing much of their music off of their 2007 release, "Under the Blacklight". In addition to this, several songs seeming to showcase Lewis' talent were also included. During one of her vocally heavy moments, Lewis forgot the lyrics mid verse, only to ask for a refresher from the crowd and begin the verse again, something that couldn’t be done as easily in a less cozy venue. Aside from the constant noise pollution being released around me, the night seemed to be quite mellow and enjoyable. Actually it was much more pleasing once I moved back to take it in from a distance. I'm almost glad that I was unable to go to the second night, not because I wouldn't like to see these acts again, but I don't think I could handle another night in this environment.

Rilo Kiley too played a short set, almost certainly due to the fact that they were playing again the next night. After a short two song encore, the night was over and I was left to fight my way through the horde. The night was a good one, but I think I would like to see this act in another venue, perhaps one that was either outdoors, or over 21, nothing personal to the 18+ crowd.

Due to my tardiness, I am unfortunately unable to gauge Nik Frietas on the slice scale, but he seemed to be a decent songwriter.

For their upbeat show with a stage presence to match, I give The Spinto Band 6.5/10 slices.

For a smooth sounding show topped off by excellent vocals when they were audible, I give Rilo Kiley 7/10 slices.

My apologies for the sub par pictures, but I was not allowed my SLR inside.
Feel free to check out more sub par, as well as several beautiful ones in our photo gallery!

-Toast