Coming into the Stephen Malkmus show, I certainly had mixed feelings. Considered by many, including myself, to be Indie Rock Royalty, I could not help but wonder if I was going to be dissapointed. I had read negative reviews of his previous shows on this tour, and quite frankly, I didn't want to be dissapointed.

Openers Kingsbury Manx played soft, beautiful music for a short set, and I was very pleased with them. The dual vocals of the lead singers was almost lullabic. But then, it was time for SM.

As Malkmus entered the stage, a roar of applause came over the crowd, as I had expected. He just kind of shrugged and said a quite "Hello." He took off a thicker shirt, he nearly pulled his other t-shirt off with it. Imagine that, my first time ever seeing Stephen Malkmus, and I had already seen him half-naked two minutes after he arrived. As he started off into his first song, "Jenny & the Ess-dog," all previous doubts were erased. He played his guitar with expertise and ease. Maybe it was just the fact that his hair covered his highs, but Steve almost seemed to be asleep on stage. However, his guitar-playing and enthusiasm were not affected in the least. I had heard about his axe-work before, but I was truly impressed with how effortlessly he played.

Ripping nearly his entire debut CD and a few covers, the only thing more enjoyable than SM's precision on the guitar was his between-song banter. Effortlessly, he made everyone in the room laugh with his bizarre quips and remarks. The rest of the Jicks proved to be comedians in their own right. Everyone on stage was smiling, and it was quite apparent that Steve was happy doing what he loved to do. His enthusiasm emanated throughout the entire, sold out crowd, and when his brief set was said and done, I could only walk away, amazed at the man known as Stephen Malkmus. Walking away in almost a trance, all I could mutter to myself was "He is so cool."

Minor Complaints - short set, no Heather Larimer, vocals mixed too low