Tobias Jesso Jr played two NYC shows (pics from Baby's)
photos by PSquared Photography; words by Bill Pearis
Tobias Jesso Jr @ Baby’s All Right, 3/27/2015
Canadian sensation Tobias Jesso Jr played two NYC shows last week, coming off his well-reviewed solo debut, Goon, and appearances at SXSW. We caught his show Friday (3/27) at Baby’s All Right, which was as packed as I’ve ever seen it, and pictures from his set are in this post.
Jesso’s album is steeped in a Laurel Canyon retro sound, and he’s not denying those singer-songwriter roots. His label has even made a magazine ad that looks straight out of Rolling Stone or Playboy in 1972 which were in turn made into t-shirts you could buy at the shows. You can spend his whole show picking his songs apart if you want — there’s Carol King, there’s Harry Nilsson, there’s Randy Newman, there’s the Cheers theme song — which is even easier to do when it’s just a man and an electric piano. (He played a couple songs on guitar as well.) But Jesso is a pretty charming guy with self-effacing humor, and the heart-on-sleeve lyrics clearly connect with his audience who were either singing along loudly (like on “How Could You Babe”) or pin-drop quiet. Like him or not, he’s gonna be playing much bigger places next time.
In addition to his own songs, Jesso did a couple covers as well — “Georgia on My Mind” and Big Star’s “Thirteen.” Setlist and more pictures from Baby’s All Right (including some of opener Okay Kaya), below…
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Okay Kaya
Tobia Jesso Jr.
SETLIST: Tobias Jesso Jr @ Baby’s All Right 3/27/2015
Bad Words
Can We Still Be Friends
True Love
The Weight
Tell the Truth
Hey
Just a Dream
Hollywood
Thirteen (Big Star cover)
Without You
Georgia On My Mind
How Could You Babe