Concert Review: Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks at The Roxy

Last night (July 19) marked the sold-out Los Angeles tour stop for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, who are touring behind their latest album Sparkle Hard. The new album draws the band back to its roots, sounding more Pig Lib and Pavement-esque than ever.

Originally, Malkmus and The Jicks were going to play FYF Fest this weekend, but since that's no longer a thing (RIP), Malkmus set an LA date at the Roxy (thank GOD). The Roxy last night was nothing short of a sweat lodge filled with dorks in glasses, me being one of them (I wore my contact lenses though because I'm cool.) Malkmus and The Jicks came on and immediately Stephen, or STEVE as he prefers to be called, became everyone's best friend.

"YO what's up?!" he shouted in the mic as he grabbed it off the stand. The night bounced between Steve laying sick guitar solos on us and then grabbing the mic out of its stand like a karaoke princess. Rightfully so because his vocals are more youthful than ever; Malkmus hit his peak in the '90s in Pavement and has continued to ride that train since.

The 14-song set was a volley of licks off of Sparkle Hard, which was warmly welcomed by everyone. It's clear that Malkmus and The Jicks have made a hardy comeback with this new album. They've been at it for 17 years and comebacks at this point in the game can be hard to come by... Not for this four-piece. Watching the indie-rock band have fun on stage together was almost as enjoyable as watching Malkmus interact with the front-row crowd, telling the rest of us that the conversations that were happening up there were "f*cking awesome."

Banter by Malkmus was a treat, so was the beautifully crafted setlist that included oldie but goodie "Witch Mountain Bridge," a Pig Lib gem that has made its way back to their setlists for the first time since 2006. And even then, this track was rarely ever played. I'm happy to see that it's made a home on the Sparkle Hard tour.

When Steve and the Jicks came back onto the stage for the encore, he knew what the lot of us had been waiting for. First, they played their hit off of the new release, "Middle America." But then, Steve gave a precursor for what was to come -

"These songs were from a different time, different place, with different people, but with the same feeling!"

Then they went into beloved Pavement tracks "Shady Lane" and "In the Mouth a Desert" before leaving our sweaty bodies in a glowing state. There was not one person who wasn't jumping or singing along during this magical encore.

Check out the full setlist from the show below.

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

Catch The Jicks on the remainder of their tour while you still can! They'll be back in Los Angeles on October 5th at the Greek Theater with Courtney Barnett and Waxahatchee.

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