Last Sunday a friend and I trekked out to a tiny space called Silent Barn in Bushwick to see a solo show: Ted Leo. (The Pharmacists are currently on hiatus!) It was a benefit show to save the space and it’s a cool space, but they need to really get a better air conditioning system. (It was hot as hell in there.)
Ted Leo played an awesome setlist (see below) with a lot of new songs that he was trying out . He proclaimed that people thought he was a “merchant of cheer” and then he played his “darkest song” he ever wrote – but sadly (?) it wasn’t all that dark. After about a dozen songs, he gave us permission to leave if we wanted, “I think I’ve played enough to fulfill the social contract we’ve made with one another, so I’m going to keep playing but if you need to move on with your night, feel free!” Needless to say, none of us left.
Ted Leo has been one of my favorite artists for the last decade, so to say it was awesome to see him in such a tiny space with only about 50 other people would be a massive understatement. I talked to him briefly after the show and he’s a massively chill guy.
He’s performing tomorrow at the Bell House in Brooklyn with Julie Klausner on her weekly show. If you’re in the area, you should definitely check it out.
That Girl Allison 