Deja Vu hits, #afterthebreak…
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Sondre Lerche
@
The Troubadour
Special Guests: TEEN & The Last Hurrah!! Featuring Maesa
(10/08/14)
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I love The Troubadour‘s lounge during a show.
Imagine a version of me. In the corner. By the door. Sipping on scotch that I overpaid for. Staring at the grey television hanging above the room by the makeshift merchandise stand. Halfway through a set is when it gets really empty. Dead even. Just the lovely bartender cleaning up for the evening with the occasional peek at the feed. She’s paying attention as I get lost in old memories…contemplating the collective six years since I first watched Sondre Lerche perform live here. Strangely, from the same spot and on the same TV.
Crazy how time flies. That night in 2008 changed my life. Consider it the “Big Bang” of my music blogging career. Little did I know it at the time. The nights got longer after that. She still deserves all the credit. Even 6 years later. No better way to honor a great awkward evening by returning to WeHo’s iconic venue and watch Sondre give it a go one more time with a new batch of meaningful tracks from his 2014 release – PLEASE.
Sondre Lerche has headlined the iconic West Hollywood staple since 2007. This show marked his fifth appearance at the Troubadour in seven years. The guest list has always been different. This time he brought along TEEN, a New York based psychedelic female pop quartet, and the eclectic newbies – The Last Hurrah; a band with flower power sponsored by longtime collaborator Hans Petter “HP” Gundersen. Hans’ name might sound familiar to liner note fans because he produced Sondre Lerche’s iconic ‘Faces Down’. So it didn’t surprise the audience when they teamed up once more on-stage during Sondre’s rendition of “Two-Way Monologue”. HP hit us with the ultimate guitar solo, powerful enough to melt a face or two. Something worth checking out below in the video section. TEEN, after their set, played support during PLEASE’s most difficult harmonies. Like the last time, the collective artists were there to support each other. Something I love seeing at shows. The bands should always play together.
Sondre excels as a solo troubadour. He is the definition of the venue. “A singer-songwriter with a voice that soars”. No matter how complicated PLEASE sounded to me on wax, at each song’s core, is this simple tune with a soft hidden truth underneath the complex layers of love, lost, and recovery. The way Sondre was singing each and every song on his set list made it hard to notice anyone else. The Velvet Viking commanded the wooden stage with his beautiful, heartbroken, voice. He was happy that his exorcism was finally over, getting back to passion of making & singing his meaningful music. Now more mature after having survived the war.
His powerful-yet quiet acoustic performance of the classic “My Hands Are Shaking” was the highlight of the evening for that reason. His recent turmoil took it to whole another level as he was consumed by the shadow of the spotlight. The raw emotion of the performance making his hand shake even more as he scratched those strings. The music continued to consume his performance breaking all limits. Same could be said for the crowd joining encore “Modern Nature”. A song that was still undecided before the show. Watching the whole room in sync on the television screen made me tap my toe, sway my head, and smile as the they sing all of Lillian Samdal’s lines back at Sondre. It’s like I was dancing with my former self. It was the best choice for the finale.
The Troubadour brings out the best of Sondre…it is how he’s meant to be seen live. Alongside a crowd mouthing all the lyrics whether sad, lonely, or just with a “do…do…do” while I root on at the bar. Look forward to the next stage of his career with his bright outlook on life slowly returning to the surface. Still wish to experience a live rendition of the “Duper Sessions“. That would be a dream showcase, especially if it happened at the Troubadour.
A huge thank you to Sondre Lerche, TEEN, The Last Hurrah, and The Troubadour for allowing me to reminisce about my youth. Ain’t nothing better than a pinch of deja vu. Remember…we’re still rooting for you all. Click the links below to watch portions of the show from various fan’s perspectives. My photos sit underneath that and are my gift to you all.
Set List & Video Highlights
- After The Exorcism
- Bad Law
- Crickets
- You Know So Well
- Go Right Ahead
- My Hands Are Shaking
- Sleep On Needles
- At A Loss For Words
- Sentimentalist
- Lucifer
- Phantom Punch
- Two Way Monologue
- Legends
- Encore: Lucky Guy
- Encore: Modern Nature