Last night I finally got to see Paul Weller live after 30+ years of trying. It was at The Fillmore in San Francisco, and did not disappoint. He played for over 2 hours plus an encore.
This was no 80s nostalgia show either. For those who’ve been paying attention, Paul Weller has been actively recording and reinventing himself his whole career. He truly is one of my musical idols. I think he’s underrated as a songwriters, at least in the US.
I started out as a fan of The Jam from the early days of MTV. In high school, I went back to their beginnings with “In the City.” My brother turned me onto The Style Council with “My Ever Changing Moods.” I really turned a corner after seeing them perform “Walls Come Tumbling Down” at Live Aid in 1985.
The crowd was mostly Gen-Xers slightly older than me. There were a few real mods in the crowd, but most just phoned it in simply opting for a Fred Perry polo or windbreaker.
I rediscovered the Style Council, in college, after my girlfriend (now wife) got their greatest hits for a birthday present. I borrowed her CD and never gave it back…I think. By then, they had been broken up for a couple years.
In the Fall of 1992, Paul Weller released his first solo album while I was working at Apple. That summer, he played the Warfield in San Francisco, but I couldn’t get anyone to go with me.
In 1995 Paul Weller was playing at The Metro in Chicago, but I had tickets to The Brand New Heavies. Coincidentally, they were playing The Metro to, but later that night. I wanted to go to both, but alas, couldn’t get anyone to go.
After moving back to the Bay Area in 2014, I missed seeing him several times for various reasons.
To avoid missing him this time around, I joined his mailing list and got advanced notice about this show. I bought the tickets the minute I found out, not even caring it was a Sunday night. Though I did care a little bit more when the time came.
He did a great job of alternating between newer stuff and old stuff except The Jam. The only song he did from that era was “That’s Entertainment.”
