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The Weakerthans played Webster Hall

the Canadian upward guitar thrust (CRED)
Weakerthans

Tuesday night (Oct 30, 2007) I visited Webster Hall to check out the return of the Weakerthans. Last time they were in NYC, they played on a boat. I was probably too tired to be at the Webster show, so I don’t have a lot to say about it except it was good, and that they played a healthy-sized set – clocking in at around 90 minutes. Jersey Beat has a little more insight…

The real star of a Weakerthans show is the songwriting. Samson’s songs tend to be extended narratives rather than hook-driven pop songs with repeated chrouses; as a lyricist, his attention to detail is impeccable and often arresting. The man does have an odd stage presence though. The band breezed through the hour-plus set with a minimum of banter; no stories, no set ups, very few introductions. Samson clearly expected his audience to already know all the songs. And while he certainly didn’t come across as disaffected or bored, he never seemed very excited to be there, either; mostly, he wore this serene grin that stopped just short of smugness. The crowd seemed to be more excited singing these songs than Samson. [Jersey Beat]

They play Boston tonight.

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