Lily Allen (GAMH, 6 February 2007)

Lily Allen is one of those guilty pleasures I have. She's a darling of the blog world, and even self-proclaimed "indie" websites like Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan and Product Shop NYC love her. I've always been a sucker for pop music, and Lily Allen is no exception. After missing her first two visits in San Francisco, I finally had my chance to see her at Great American last Tuesday night.

It was an MTV sponsored event, so I braced myself for the prospect of all these young kids romping around. Fortunately, that wasn't the case from my vantage point. Unlike her past performances, Lily Allen looked like she just stepped out of the tour bus. She didn't wear one of her trademark dresses. Instead, she wore jeans and a t-shirt. She even acknowledged that this was probably the only show she's ever done where we can "see her fat ass." She occassionally smoked a fag every now and then, despite her acknowledgement of California's law banning such behavior indoors. But whatever. Oh, and she had a cool gun necklace.

Show wise, she was top notch. Her backing band sounded great. She sounded great. She entertained the crowd with some funny banter.

She opened up with "LDN" which I missed. But all the songs I wanted to hear she did play...and more. "Littlelest Things" was played, and it sounds a lot like Radiohead's "Karma Police." At least the keyboard bits. Otherwise, this song is nothing close to Radiohead. She even covered Keane with "Everybody's Changing." Her cover sounded like a reggae tune. And, for the encore, The Specials' "Blank Expression." Her musical taste is diverse, and these covers proved it.

Best reaction from the crowd was when she played "Smile" and the last song, "Alfie." She remarked about how the venue smelled like weed, which then reminded her of a little brother of hers.

Overall, great show. Nothing wild or spectacular, but a good way to spend a Tuesday night.

Beer Rating: