Flashback: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

First Avenue Setlist (06/12/2005)

Pencil Rot Dynamic Calories Do Not Feed the Oyster Loud Cloud Crowd Wow Ass Jeans Post Paint Boy It Kills Malediction I’ve Hardly Been No More Shoes Baby C’mon Church on White Freeze the Saints Water and a Seat — Encore — Jo Jo’s Jacket Incense Call

Electric Fetus Setlist

Freeze the Saints It Kills Phantasies Vanessa from Queens Mama Trojan Curfew

 

One of my very first real concerts I went to was Pavement at the Cadillac Club in Fresno, California, on 09/16/1994. I sure wish I had the ticket stub or flyer, but I distinctively remember this show because Pavement’s drummer Bob Nastanovich stood outside the venue, shaking our hands as we stepped into the tiny club. Obviously, I don’t remember any songs they played since it was 20 years ago (although I’m pretty sure they played “Cut Your Hair”, since the band was riding high on this hit around this time), but according to bootleggers online, they noted that this show featured an improved version of Silver Jews’ “Federal Dust”.

Since the 1994 show, I’ve followed Pavement, on and off. I loved “Shady Lane”, I love their crackling/none-singing voice of singer Stephen Malkmus. Certainly bought at least two of the deluxe reissues from Matador and having fun re-visiting those old classic Pavement songs… but I wasn’t that upset when the band broke up in 1999. That’s fine, these things happen.

I did eventually caught Stephen Malkmus again, with his band, the Jicks, at First Avenue in Minneapolis on June 12th, 2005. Unfortunately, I did not take notes because I wasn’t covering music back then. Plus, I wasn’t that into Malkmus (at least compared to Pavement), so a lot of those songs went over my head. Instead, all the setlist and information are taken from howwastheshow, and I can’t verify or deny the set. All I know is that he did not do any Pavement songs, despite the protests of the majority of the audience.

Earlier in the day, Malkmus was at the Electric Fetus to do an in-store performance and a meet & greet. I had him sign my Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain deluxe reissue. Malkmus is great, he was friendly and did not mind signing Pavement stuff (unlike some difficult artists). He even let me take a picture of him (see below).

Anyway, I caught Malkmus again at the 80/35 Music Festival, and was surprised to find out that Sleater-Kinney’s Janet Weiss was their drummer! Note that Weiss is currently not touring in the Jicks.

 

So, what’s going on with Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks? They are on tour for their first full-length release in three years, Wig Out at Jagbags (which came out January 7, 2014, on Matador Records). The new album feature, as Rolling Stone wrote, a “soul” song, “Malkmus proves that he can come on like a soulman – even when he’s wigging out.”

Below is the U.S. 2014 tour announcement, kicking off in Colorado at the Gothic Theatre on February 12. Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks will be in Minneapolis on February 18th, shortly, at the Cedar Cultural Center.

02/12/14 Denver | Gothic Theatre * 02/14/14 Columbia, MO | Mojo’s * 02/15/14 St. Louis | Old Rock House * 02/16/14 Omaha | The Waiting Room * 02/18/14 Minneapolis | Cedar Cultural Center * 02/19/14 Madison | High Noon Saloon * 02/20/14 Chicago | Lincoln Hall + 02/21/14 Ferndale, MI | The Loving Touch + 02/22/14 Toronto | Lee’s Palace + 02/23/14 Montreal | Cafe Campus + 02/25/14 Boston | Paradise + 02/26/14 NYC | Bowery + 02/27/14 Brooklyn | Music Hall of Williamsburg % 02/28/14 Washington DC | Black Cat % 03/01/14 Philadelphia | Theatre of Living Arts % 03/03/14 Carrboro | Cat’s Cradle # 03/04/14 Atlanta | Terminal West # 03/05/14 Birmingham | Bottletree # 03/06/14 New Orleans | Parish @ HOB # 03/07/14 Houston | Fitzgerald’s Upstairs # 03/09/14 Dallas | Granada #

03/15/14 Portland | Star Theater 03/27/14 San Francisco | Slim’s 03/28/14 Los Angeles | El Rey 03/29/14 San Diego | Casbah 03/30/14 Pioneertown, CA | Pappy and Harriet’s 04/01/14 Phoenix | Crescent Ballroom 04/02/14 Las Vegas | Beauty Bar 04/03/14 Salt Lake City | Urban Lounge 04/05/14 Missoula | Top Hat 04/07/14 Calgary | Republik 04/08/14 Edmonton | Starlite Room 04/10/14 Vancouver | Rickshaw Theatre 04/11/14 Victoria | Lucky Bar 04/12/14 Seattle | Neptune ( * with Tyvek) (+ with Disappears) (% with Endless Boogie) (# with Purling Hiss) ( with Sun Foot) (& with Speedy Ortiz)