Show Review by Erin Christie
MJ Lenderman, I fear I have feelings for you.
Manning Fireworks, Lenderman’s first LP on ANTI, is a triumph not just because it succeeds in its continuance of his pre-established lore in goofy-but-sentimental and ultimately real songwriting and his simple but captivating musical cornerstone of strummed guitar/banjo and airy drum patterns. It succeeds, too, in the fact that despite its somewhat “basic” folk musical formula, it means something to people, enough that it quickly permeated the Internet zeitgeist and dethroned ‘brat summer’ in favorite of ‘MJ fall’. It does make sense that this happened though, as the album has a distinctly homegrown and autumnal atmosphere, one that draws you in and reminds you to touch grass and squint at the sun filtering through your blinds (whereas brat might encourage you to wear sunglasses inside and slink into strobe-infused darkness). More specifically, Manning Fireworks evokes the following collective imagery seldom seen elsewhere: bare feet on a splintered back porch decorated with forgotten bottle caps, an elderly dog snoring somberly in your lap, the smell of citronella dancing with cigarette smoke, romance spilling from your heart and onto the back of a takeout menu, and later heading back inside to get into bed and touch oneself by candlelight.
From the perspective of a dedicated listener-base largely located in absolutely not suburban or laid back neighborhoods like Bushwick, Manning Fireworks serves as a reminder of life’s simple pleasures and simulates a return to them. And part of life’s simple pleasures is the enjoyment of seeing live music, which I’ve admittedly been missing in recent months. That said, I joined the swarms of indieheads in line to get a ticket for one of his three headline shows at Music Hall of Williamsburg a little while back. Against all odds, I was one of the lucky few to hit the jackpot, landing a spot to attend night one of the residency.
Horrifically, I arrived at the venue with not more than 15 minutes to spare before Lenderman’s set, despite my excitement for the show — this was a rookie mistake, especially given the fact that his trifecta of Brooklyn shows had to be some of the most highly anticipated and well-attended of the year. Past a rushed security check, I was unsurprisingly greeted at the foot of the short staircase into the main venue by a wall of bodies, filling the floor to the point where navigation was extremely limited and fans spilled out into the hallway. With a round of profuse apologies, I managed to sneak my way up to a somewhat decent spot, wedged between joyous couples chugging their Coors tallboys arm-in-arm and stoic gentlemen awaiting Lenderman and his band’s arrival with a skeptical raised brow. Those brows, once questioning, quickly seemed to transition into a more docile position upon the collective taking the stage to a raucous round of hoots and hollers. As the night continued, the room’s overwhelming respect and admiration for Lenderman and his cohorts was apparent, and I would be surprised if these bushy-browed critics didn’t find themselves succumbing to his spell by the end of the near two-hour set time.
Beyond his ability to charm the pants off any listener with his music alone, it’s also easy to gather a read on Lenderman’s ‘steez’ via his on-stage banter, peppered with sly smiles and quippy one-liners. A heckler from the midst of the crowd asked him at one point, “What’s your favorite part about New York?,” to which he simply replied “you,” before launching into the setlist’s next inclusion. “I don’t want to freak anybody out, but I think Shrek’s here tonight. Nobody look,” he later joked.
Now having witnessed Manning Fireworks in a live format, in addition to witnessing Lenderman’s command of the stage whilst translating the material into a jam-band format, the record’s success is all the more understandable to me. With an understated yet compelling general aura, tongue-in-cheek chuckle-inducing lyrics, and just the right amount of twang, Manning Fireworks sits comfortably among this year’s heavy hitters. And I’m honored to say I caught this special moment for Lenderman live in Brooklyn this year.
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