Jens Lekman (Bimbo's, 9 November 2007)

Nearly a month after I saw this show, I still can't believe how great Jens Lekman was live. He was fantastic from start to finish, crooning his way to the hearts of every person in attendance at Bimbo's that evening. He sang everything that I wanted to hear, and sang new songs that I haven't heard before. He hasn't been to S.F. in a while, and this was my first time seeing him. With all those factors in mind, I was very excited to see him.

Jens' new album is definitely in my top 5 releases for 2007. So, seeing those songs performed live will trigger an additional sense when I hear that album play through my headphones.

My friends and I stood in the back at first, but found a prime table in the back. Near the bar, away from the hustle and bustle, but still good enough to see Jens and his band that consisted of really cute Swedish women (so I think they are Swedish). Think Robert Palmer's video "Simply Irreststable" to get a minds eye view of what I'm talking about.

Jens was talkative and quirky throughout the show, even throwing in there a story about him rollerblading in the North Bay. I don't know if that story is mere fiction, but picturing Jens Lekman rollerblading just doesn't make sense to me.

One of the stories he told was about his hairdresser in Sweden. It was an amusing story that nicely transitioned into him playing "Shirin." The highlight for me was "Your Arms Around Me," which sounded so fantastic. Jens and his band even did a little interpretive dance, with the whole band pretending to be airplanes. Jens' voice was so good during this song, and his band captured that very Smiths like quality to the song -- a portion of which sounds like "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side."

Oh, and of course, "Black Cab." It was surreal.

He played two encores. One song he played was "Tram #7 to Heaven," which he played by himself, acoustically. "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo" was a bit of a disappointment because of the rather weak horns that accompanied it. But, "A Sweet Summer's Night on Hammer Hill" was a lot of fun with all that "bomp" noises they made.

I think this could be one of the top 5 shows of the year. He'll return, I hope, but he'll be playing the Fillmore by then. Regardless, I'll be one of the first persons to buy a ticket.