Concert Review: Robyn Hitchcock at the Turf Club

Me and Robyn Hitchcock, at the Turf Club, April 25, 2018. (Photo by a kind stranger.)

On Wednesday night I saw Robyn Hitchcock at the Turf Club in Saint Paul. I reviewed Robyn’s 2017 show at the Turf Club here. Opening for Robyn was Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tristen, who was accompanied by Buddy Hughen on guitar. I’d never heard of Tristen before, but I liked her voice, even if I couldn’t understand all of the lyrics, which wasn’t her fault. I’ve long wondered why live sound systems aren’t better at making vocals intelligible. I enjoyed Tristen’s set, and she’s now on my list of artists I need to listen to.

Robyn performed with a band, which is the first time I’ve seen him with a band since the very first time I saw him live, which was back in 2009 at the Varsity. His current backing band is called the LA Squires, and features Luther Russell on guitar, Tony Buchen on bass, and Mark Sheppard on drums. It was fun to hear Robyn with a band again, as I think it gives his songs more variety. Playing with a band also allowed Hitchcock to play songs like “Goodnight Oslo” and “Adventure Rocket Ship” which sounds better played by a band. The setlist was a full range of Hitchcock’s music, spanning his career from the Soft Boys to his most recent album, 2017’s self-titled disc. A highlight for me was the humorous rocker “Viva Sea-Tac,” an ode to the Seattle-Tacoma area. Chorus: “And the Space Needle points to the sky/the Space Needle’s such a nice guy.” Robyn also reached back to 1979 for “I Wanna Destroy You,” which is now being used to sell Subway sandwiches. (No joke.)

Hitchcock closed the evening with a lovely solo version of “I Often Dream of Trains,” which is one of my favorite songs of his, followed by David Bowie’s “All the Young Dudes,” sung with Tristen, and the very funky “Grooving on an Inner Plane.” As with Hitchcock’s show last year, there were fewer surrealistic digressions in between songs, which was too bad. Also, Robyn didn’t say anything about the Foshay Tower, which is one of his favorite buildings. Fun fact: the Foshay was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River when it was completed in 1929.

As usual, Robyn signed autographs for fans, and I finally got my picture taken with him, so I can cross that off my bucket list. Robyn’s partner Emma Swift was in charge of the merchandise table, so I chatted briefly with her, and bought a very cool Robyn Hitchcock shirt. It was an excellent evening.

Setlist:

In the Abyss

Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl

Kingdom of Love

Goodnight Oslo

Viva Sea-Tac

New York Doll

I Pray When I’m Drunk

Adventure Rocket Ship

Madonna of the Wasps

Airscape

Sayonara Judge

I Wanna Destroy You

Mad Shelley’s Letterbox

Encore:

I Often Dream of Trains-solo

All the Young Dudes-with Tristen

Grooving on an Inner Plane