The Silver Jews –

September 12, 2006 – The Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood, California

    After over 15 years of existence, with five full-length albums and several assorted side releases, the Silver Jews have hit the road in 2006 for their first live tour ever. David Berman has finally relented, ready to unleash his quirky and brilliant one- and two-liners on the fans who have been clamoring for it for a long time. And so, at the Henry Fonda on a Tuesday, a small legion of Silver Jews stalwarts – nerds, indie rockers, and philosophers – packed the house in anticipation of the once-in-a-lifetime chance to observe the enigmatic group’s performance. I muscled my way to the front row; heck yes.

    Sadly, while the show was certainly digestible for those well-versed in Berman’s catalog, I couldn’t help but feeling anything short of a letdown. Having fallen in love with every one of the Jews’ albums, the witty, dryly delivered lyrics and the rich, Telecaster blues-rock riffs, the band’s until-now purposeful obscurity took on a new meaning, as Berman’s vocals were drowned out by the three guitars (!?) or, in some cases, forgotten by Berman entirely, who occasionally enlisted the crowd’s assistance with the lyrics that eluded him. Endearing? Maybe, but for a band that’s been around for over a decade, you’d think that their songwriter and singer would have his songs memorized, no matter how many drug and alcohol binges he had been on. And for a band totally driven by lyrics and minimalist guitar work, the staff of seven musicians onstage created a sound too muddled and intense for Berman’s voice to handle. Even Berman’s wife, Cassie, who played bass and handled backing vocals, had a tough time at the mic.

    Criticism aside, there were several bright moments in the show. The Jews played a good portion of songs from their latest record Tanglewood Numbers, but also sleected an approximate mix of tunes from earlier recordings. HIlight include the unmistakable "Dallas" from The Natural Bridge and "Random Rules" from American Water. The band certainly hit stride with thier country shuffles "Animal Shapes" and "Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed" from Tanglewood Numbers. A violinist provided barnyard punctuation, and Cassie's legs, rendered bare by a mini-skirt, were a visual treat. But in the end, as my friends and I shuffled out of the auditorium, we couldn't help but feel a little bittersweet: glad to have been there, but disappoiunted that the performance didn't live up to the greatness of the recorded version.

-Evan Pitchford