Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs

Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs at The Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, PA, November 15, 2009, November 15th, 2009

Dec 07, 2009 By Frank Valish Web Exclusive
Bookmark and Share


There is no shortage of crappy bars in most cities in America where on any given night you can see bunch of amateur musicians slogging through cover versions of their favorite classic rock tunes. But it's not every night that you get to hear two of alt rock's finest play essentially the same gig, albeit in nicer surroundings with less cheap beer. On an unseasonably warm night in Pennsylvania's quaint town of Sellersville, Matthew Sweet (he of the famed Girlfriend) and Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) brought their revival act to several hundred concertgoers at the tiny former movie house called The Sellersville Theater.

Casually striding onto stage at the very middle-age friendly hour of 7:30 PM, Sweet and Hoffs, flanked by two additional guitarists (one being Sweet's old pal Paul Chastain from The Velvet Crush), looked like quite the mismatched pair. Sweet, sporting a scruffy beard and wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a pair of toe-shoes (Five Fingers, to be exact), looked twice the size of his Girlfriend-era self, while Hoffs, stately in a black dress, seemed to have hardly aged since her Bangles heyday. The pair launched into "I See the Rain," an underappreciated '60s masterpiece by Marmalade, Yes' "I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All Good People," which they covered on their most recent LP, Under the Covers, Vol. 2, The Left Banke's "She May Call You Up Tonight," and Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere." Then, after some drawn out pleas from Sweet for some smokeable herbs (which didn't seem to go over with the crowd as well as perhaps was planned), the band launched into Little Feat's "Willin'," with extra emphasis on the "weed" portion of the song's chorus.

Sweet and Hoffs were in fine voice, reminding of their more commercially successful years, and their selection of covers was largely faithful to the track listings of their two volumes of Under the Covers CDs. Sweet sounded loose yet invigorated by singing those songs which are so important to him. Yet, withstanding his decision not to play "Girlfriend"—Sweet chose "Sick of Myself," "I've Been Waiting," and the newer "Byrdgirl" instead—the singer's performance provided nothing surprising or unexpected. The few surprises of the night surrounded Hoffs. Most impressively, her voice seemed as strong, if not stronger, than it has ever been. Hearing her sing live, so long after her "prime," was almost revelatory. Her vocals were pitch-perfect. The gravelly tone she adopted for her lead on Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" was followed seamlessly by the soaring clarity of "To Sir With Love," a song popularized by Lulu in the late '60s. And adding The Bangles classics of "In Your Room," "Manic Monday," "Hero Takes a Fall," and a beautiful solo take on "Eternal Flame" to close out the night after Sweet left the stage were great bonuses.

Disappointingly, some in crowd did not seem to feel the same reverence, heckling Hoffs (and Sweet too, in different measure). At one point, a boisterous audience member loudly thanked Hoffs for wearing a skirt (the stage was set above the eye level of those in front). Thankfully for the rest of us, such a shockingly insulting display did not damper the music or the energy put forth from the stage. One just wished there was more appreciation from the Sellersville faithful. Of course, wank-tastic guitarist Gary Hoey is playing at the theater this month. He probably won't wear a skirt.

Set List:

I See the Rain (Marmalade)

I've Seen All Good People/Your Move (Yes)

She May Call You Up Tonight (The Left Banke)

Everybody Knows This is Nowhere (Neil Young)

Willin' (Little Feat)

Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)

You're So Vain (Carly Simon)

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding? (Nick Lowe)

Different Drum (The Stone Poneys)

Second Hand News (Fleetwood Mac)

Hello, It's Me (Todd Rundgren)

Beware of Darkness (George Harrison)

Back of a Car (Big Star)

Sick of Myself

Maggie May (Rod Stewart)

To Sir With Love (Lulu)

Here Comes the Sun (The Beatles)

All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople)

In Your Room

Manic Monday

I've Been Waiting

Byrdgirl

Hero Takes A Fall

Eternal Flame

 

 

Comments

Submit your comment

Name Required

Email Required, will not be published

URL

Remember my personal information
Notify me of follow-up comments?

Please enter the word you see in the image below:

Johnson
January 16th 2010
5:43am

wood bangles are very trendy right now and eco-friendly. panerai watches silver is expensive right now because there is a lack of it in the environment. wood is also easier to engrave into. its just a suggestion.

july
February 13th 2010
10:51am

If that’s your final answer, then you apparently have never driven the scenic stretch of State Route 840 near Arrington and Triune, where a white stone and brick structure rises through the trees on the west side of the road. It looks strikingly like, well … a castle. Los Angeles Public Relations

shakir anjum
March 12th 2010
7:16am

There is no shortage of crappy bars in most cities in America where on any given night you can see bunch of amateur musicians slogging through cover versions of their favorite classic rock tunes. But it’s not every night that you get to hear two of alt rock’s finest play essentially the same gig, albeit in nicer surroundings with less cheap beer. On an unseasonably warm night in Pennsylvania’s quaint town of Sellersville, Matthew Sweet (he of the famed Girlfriend) and Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) brought their revival act to several hundred concertgoers at the tiny former movie house called The Sellersville Theater.

max
June 23rd 2010
11:37am

Thankfully for the rest of us, such a shockingly insulting display did not damper the music or the energy put forth from the stage. One just wished there was more appreciation from the Sellersville faithful. Of course, wank-tastic guitarist Gary Hoey is playing at the theater this month. He probably won’t wear a skirt.SEO Company

Roger
January 19th 2011
7:05am

Many of these little, crappy bars start out with small bands throughout the week, but that is how they gain popularity. I know at least a hand full of bars that have had to expand and revamp their image because of revenue. This is great for the bars and the artists who are starting their career. Thanks for the post.