Word: barlowe
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
After playing new songs like “Holding Back the Day” and “If I Could,” Barlow rewarded these old fans with “Perfect Way,” a classic Sebadoh song from the album Harmacy. The sing-along that ensued sparked a string of pleading requests for personal favorites that lasted the entire show. The songs from Emoh still dominated the set, revealing a new direction for Barlow that mirrors his new fatherhood...
...moment that captured the essence of the old Barlow came in his performance of “Mary,” another Emoh gem. The song is a wryly blasphemous tale in which the narrator claims to have had a fruitful affair with the Virgin Mary. “Thank you Mary, you saved me too/They’d stone us both if they ever knew,” he crooned with a smile, as the crowd erupted in laughter over Barlow’s proof that he’s as edgy as ever...
...waned, the cries achieved a desperate tone. When Barlow announced that he was taking requests for his final song, the crowd seemed largely unified in their desire, and he agreed to play “Brand New Love,” one of his earliest Sebadoh songs. “Weren’t you all here a year ago for the Sebadoh show?” he joked, and a majority probably were, as requests for Sebadoh songs far outweighed the others...
When thunderous applause continued after his stage-right exit, Barlow wearily returned for an encore, taking requests one last time. After listening to the shouting for a minute, he declared that none of the requests inspired him, and so instead strummed his way through “Home,” the closest thing to a title track on the new album. His whispered mantra, “Nothing good can come to someone pretending he’s alone,” came across as a hard-earned lesson from a man who has finally found peace...
Barlow’s recent transition to fatherhood, then, may represent a broader shift, as more people acknowledge his vast influence on the ’90s music scene while he and the fans he played for age on into gray adulthood. No amount of production technology will strip Barlow of his underground edge, as he continues to put his ass on the line, show after show...