Rilo Kiley has been a major part of my life for multiple decades and life changes. I’ve seen them play electric and acoustic. I’ve seen them in teen centers and massive outdoor sheds. We used “More Adventurous” to walk down the aisle at my wedding.
I love this band. Enough to travel an hour away for a late-night show.
Before their set, we were treated to a surprise opening set by comedian Whitmer Thomas, hilariously spoofing emo and folk rock, with a set whose highlights included “Bright Eyes Attempting To Sing ‘Monster Mash'” and a list of band roasts, such as “Pavement is what you hit after you kill yourself because you listened to that shitty band.” An excellent set where he managed to plug his upcoming HBO special only twice.
Rilo Kiley is one year into their first tour in over a decade, and at this point, they seem to be back as a well-oiled machine. They opened “The Execution Of All Things,” a song that starts gentle and ends as a triumphant romp. Bloody brilliant start. They played a set that touched on cuts off the three final (thus far) records in the RK catalog evenly. The glam disco of Under The Blacklight, the political bent of their major label debut, More Adventurous, and they folk optimism of The Execution Of All Things cuts all worked together nicely.
A few stand out moments- the George W Bush-era protest anthem “It’s A Hit” came off rather quaint in comparison to what’s happening these days. “Does He Love You?” featured Jenny Lewis reaching out to various women in the crowd, making them melt at her feet. The audience drowned out the band for “With Arms Outstretched.”
My favorite pick up from Rilo Kiley’s reunion- historically, it always felt like “The Jenny Show.” The band feels much more like a band of equals now, with guitarist Blake Sennett taking on a much more dynamic, almost guitar hero stature on stage. He is clearly having a ball at these shows and has spent the downtime really honing his playing. Dude is a bloody monster, and I am so very here for it.
I don’t know what’s next for Rilo Kiley, but they are clearly at the height of their live powers. Bringing these songs back out to the live setting, and the way fans interacted with the return has been profound and beautiful. I really want to know what stories and songs Lewis and Sennett have in them as folks in their 50’s instead of 20’s and 30’s. I can’t wait for them to get back in the studio and share the next chapter with us.
