NICK LOWE & Los Straitjackets
Friday October 18, 2024 at Academy of Music in Northampton, MA
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets played an impressive two-hour, 27-song set on October 18 at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA. Three songs in, Lowe addressed the crowd, thanking them for attending their performance with all the choices of entertainment competing in the Northampton area. He praised the wonderful Academy of Music theatre, stating that in London they have huge arenas and small club spaces, but “nothing like the magnificent theatres here in the states.” Throughout the night, Lowe was personable, humble, and cheeky at times (like when a patron yelled out “Cracking Up!” before their last encore, Lowe retorted, “A good choice, but we have this one for you to sing along with” and launched into “When I Write the Book,” having the crowd sing along with the chorus).
The crowd applauded enthusiastically after each song, and listened intently to his every word, conveying a well-deserved respect due to this talented artist. At 75, Lowe can still sing his wonderfully quirky, catchy songs that contain great surprises in both lyrics and chord progressions. Los Straitjackets, with their solid musicianship, kitschy-yet-cool Mexican wrestling masks, and understated showmanship, were a pleasure to see and hear. Somehow, the unique combination of this Nashville-based instrumental group and Nick Lowe’s clever English pub-rock songwriting works brilliantly. Favorites of the night for me included some of the slower sentimental tunes: “Lately I’ve Let Things Slide,” “House for Sale,” and “A Different Kind of Blue” (which he confessed was “the first time we’re playing this one out live, so hopefully all goes well,” which it did).
On a personal nostalgic note, his song “Cruel to Be Kind” always brings me back to the late seventies when my sister Cheryl and I used to listen to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 on our Radio Shack boom box we’d set up on the kitchen table, writing down the list each week and seeing where our favorite songs ended up. Certain songs bring me back to that moment, and Lowe’s song is one of them. I also feel that “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” is a song for our present times, and I go back to that one time and time again when I am disillusioned with the state of the world. It seems to lift my spirits every time.
Find more information and upcoming dates here: https://nicklowe.com and here: https://losstraitjackets.com
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Show Review: Nick Lowe Tore Up the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC
SETLIST:
So It Goes
I Went to a Party
Not Too Long Ago
Lately I’ve Let Things Slide
I Live on a Battlefield
Love Starvation
Jet Pack Boomerang
Ragin’ Eyes
Tokyo Bay
Los Straitjackets mini-set:
Theme from The Magnificent Seven
Driving Guitars (Ventures Twist)
Squad Car (Bel-Airs cover)
My Heart will go on (Celine Dion cover)
Nick Lowe:
Venus (Shocking Blue cover)
Trombone
House for Sale
Lay It on Me Baby
12‐Step Program (to Quit You Babe)
Without Love
A Different Kind of Blue
Cruel to Be Kind [+ chorus reprise]
Half a Boy and Half a Man
(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
Heart of the City
I Knew The Bride (Dave Edmunds cover)
Encores:
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow (The Rivingtons cover by Los Straitjackets)
When I Write the Book