The Modfather turned 50 this year, glory be – well, you wouldn’t think it to look at him, jumping around the stage with the gusto of any of today’s young hipsters. 23 songs later he looked as if he could easily go another round too.
Opening with a glorious ‘Peacock Suit’, tonight’s set showcased a variety of gems from all stages of his career and of course, the latest, widely lauded long-player, 22 Dreams.
The crowd are up for it big time too, but unfortunately there’s a major ‘but’.
I’ve seen Weller in action a good few times so the novelty of ‘Fucking hell, that’s Weller up there’ has now worn off. The rose-tinted spectacles were removed for this performance and I reluctantly admit that much of his solo canon doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. How can ‘All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)’ follow ‘Eton Rifles’? How dull ‘Wild Wood’ sounds after a blistering ‘That’s Entertainment’.
That said, the man puts on a hell of a show. The oft-neglected ‘Picking Up Sticks’ and a cracking ‘Shout To The Top’ were two of the finer moments.
A sensational encore that included the politically charged ‘Whirlpool’s End’ (backed with footage of Ghandhi, JFK, Lennon, Martin Luther King, et al) and ended with a roof-raising ‘All You Need Is Love’ was particularly apt given the current landscape. Indeed Weller was never one to abandon his principals; the man refused a CBE for God’s sake. Respect!