Concert #725 - Willie Nile at McCabe's Guitar Shop (September 5, 2014)

 

This was my fourth time to see Willie Nile in concert. Since my introduction to his music in 2008, I have been steadily listening to his albums, with highly pleasurable results. Simply put, I love the guy. Some refer to him as an "American treasure" and I won't argue with this seemingly overblown characterization of an artist who, sadly, is not known by the masses.

Friday night at McCabe's, Willie came out with Johnny Pisano, who turned out to be the embodiment of the perfect sidekick. Playing bass in his own idiosyncratic style and providing strong backup vocals, Johnny was as much a part of the show as Willie himself.

Willie Nile (right) and Johnny Pisano at McCabe's

The music was great, with lots of catchy hooks, expressive vocals, lively tempos and easy-to-follow lyrics. I knew many of the songs and the ones that were new to me were instantly accessible, in typical Willie Nile fashion. Willie's delivery was intense - I loved watching the many different expressions on his face and it was fun watching him fist-bump Johnny a couple of times.

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Willie played for eighty minutes or so. His set focused primarily on material from "American Ride", his most recent album, with the title track taking the cake for the catchiest and bounciest song of the evening. The crowd gave a good reception to "Holy War", a song that addresses the rise of religious terrorism. Equally good was "Life On Bleecker Street". This time around there were no Ramones covers, but instead, Willie delighted us with a great rendition of "Sweet Jane", his tribute to the Velvet Underground and the late Lou Reed.

At one point during the show, Willie went to the piano, from where he delivered three very good numbers: "Sunrise In New York City", "The Crossing" and "Lost", a song that will appear on a future "piano record", as he put it. They all sounded great.

Willie Nile playing the piano at McCabe's

The set ended with two more rousing songs, "House Of A Thousand Guitars" and "One Guitar", each involving crowd participation. For his one-song encore, Willie sang "On The Road To Calvary", a song he wrote with Jeff Buckley in mind.

Overall, it was a great concert, the kind that makes you feel special for having had the privilege of attending.  The next time Willie Nile is in town, you know where to find me. As for the folks who don't know who he is, well ... it's their loss.

The set list

Willie Nile at McCabe's

Johnny Pisano at McCabe's

Here's a photo taken from the venue's Facebook page. It shows Willie Nile with two old buddies, Captain Sensible of the Damned and Mike Peters of the Alarm, who were in the attendance last night.  

From L to R: Captain Sensible, Willie Nile and Mike Peters at McCabe's

The stage

Concert #593 - Willie Nile at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 21, 2011)

Willie Nile's small body is no indication as to how huge he is as a performer. Why isn't he better known than he actually is? That's just another unexplained mystery of the Universe. Actually Willie did talk about fame and the benefits of not having achieved it, but also mentioned, in good humor, of course, that he could use the money that often accompanies fame.

This was my third time to see him in three years and I thought he was better than ever. Wearing his usual all-black clothes and armed with an acoustic guitar, Willie put on yet another blistering show that was exceptionally well-received by the sell-out crowd. I was amazed by his intensity and the incredible amount of energy that he exuded throughout the concert. His new songs were all catchy and instantly likeable, not unlike his earlier work.

Twice during the show, Willie sat down at the piano to play slower songs, namely "Streets Of New York" and "Love Is A Train", but his "rock & roll attitude" kept coming even while his guitar wasn't in use.

PARTIAL SET LIST

"Seeds Of A Revolution"

"House Of A Thousand Guitars"

"I Wanna Be Sedated"

"People Who Died"

"The Innocent Ones"

"One Guitar"

"Rich And Broken"

"Streets Of New York"

"Love Is A Train"

"Cell Phones Ringing (In The Pockets Of The Dead)"

"On The Road To Calvary"

"Les Champs Elysees"

Willie brought along drummer and backup vocalist Frankie Lee, his longtime sidekick, who did a great job from his low-profile spot right in the corner of the stage.

Just like in 2009, Creed Bratton, of the Grass Roots and The Office fame, popped up for a couple of songs and he was definitely a welcome addition to the show.

Without a doubt, this was one of the best shows I have ever seen at McCabe's

Willie Nile and fans, before the door opened

The McCabe's crowd, minutes before the lights went down

Concert Director Lincoln Myerson addressing the crowd

L to R: Creed Bratton, Willie Nile

Willie Nile chatting with fans after the show

Some of the folks I dragged with me to McCabe's

The evening kicked off with an opening act of some renown: Peter Lewis of Moby Grape, the internationally known American rock band. Peter came out with three other musicians, among them Willie Aron, a very good guitar player I had seen a few times before. Peter's performance was passable at best.

Peter Lewis' set list

Concerts #473, 519 - Willie Nile at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 28, 2008 - September 12, 2009)

Willie Nile is yet another huge favorite of mine who, as far as I was concerned, came out of nowhere. It was Lincoln, the Concert Director at McCabe's, who suggested that I catch Willie's show, his first ever at McCabe's, so I did.

With his passionate singing, countless songs of superior quality and rock star moves, Willie blew me away. Although short of stature, he radiated power, energy and confidence, but then off-stage, after the show, he appeared to be just a regular guy, happy to chat with his fans.

His 2008 and 2009 shows were somewhat similar, and I don't mean it in a negative way - both shows were great. Drummer Frankie Lee and guest Creed Bratton, of the Grass Roots and The Office fame, provided able support on both occasions.

Creed Bratton

Naturally, the June 2008 gig focused primarily on Willie's then-current album, "Streets Of New York". My favorites were "Cell Phones Ringing (In The Pockets Of The Dead)" and "The Day I Saw Bo Diddley In Washington Square". His rousing rendition of "I Wanna Sedated", one of the signature songs of the Ramones, brought the house down. After the show, I had the chance to shake hands with Willie and tell him how much I enjoyed his show. He then autographed the live CD I bought right there.

CD autographed by Willie Nile

In September 2009, Willie played most of the songs from his outstanding just-released album "House Of A Thousand Guitars", but sadly skipped "Now That The War Is Over", arguably the best song of the album. But he did play most of my other favorites, "Magdalena", "The Midnight Rose", "House Of A Thousand Guitars" and "Give Me Tomorrow". There were also a few new numbers, among them "One Guitar" and "Innocent One". Just like in 2008, Willie played a few songs while accompanying himself on the piano.

Willie Nile at McCabe's (September 2009)

I went to the show with my friends Michael, Nicole, Sabine and her boyfriend, who all had a fabulous time.

Willie Nile autographing for Michael and Sabine