1 post tagged “jon brion”
My favorite place to see music in LA (possibly of anywhere I've lived, for that matter), Largo, seems to have a movie coming out. Based on the trailer, too, it looks like the film will capture what makes it so special:
Over the years, I've seen a lot of great people there: Aimee Mann, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Michael Penn, Colin Hay, Gillian Welch, the Naked Trucker and T-Bones (on several occasions), Paul F. Tompkins...the list goes on. If you've never been, and you live in LA, you should go immediately. If you're not in LA, hopefully the movie will do it justice.
Of the numerous wonderful shows I've seen there, one always stands as the quintessential Largo night. We went to see Jon Brion, who played for nearly two hours (a mix of originals and great covers, including Bowie's "Moonage Daydream," and, by request, "Freebird," which he turned into a sci-fi "Linus and Lucy" Peanuts-themed piece, which I know makes little sense here)...then, he took a break, and returned with Fiona Apple, who played a number of songs (and covers, including "Every Day," by Buddy Holly). Then, Benmont Tench (of the Heartbreakers) came out to play piano...and then, the bluegrass/folk group Nickelcreek came out to join them all for a number of songs. The whole thing lasted about four (fantastic) hours, ending with Brion alone, playing "Waterloo Sunset," by the Kinks, which he (perhaps rightfully) described as the best song ever written.
It was an amazing night, and I was really happy to see that someone had video from it online, even. This is the moment when he returned from intermission with Fiona Apple. Enjoy...and, if you're one of the people who was at the show, listen for our clapping...
