Jens Lekman - Live @ Lido, Berlin, 02/16/08

It was Jens Lekman's third time in Berlin and the venues keep getting bigger. When I saw him last, I was somewhat disappointed (which might have been influenced by having to dodge the trombone player's instrument half the evening) but this night clearly made up for it all. With a slightly reformed band including violin, cello, and Viktor Sjöberg (of Sonores and other projects) on "sounds and electronics", Jens quickly won over an audience that had previously had their enthusiasm dampened by a Placebo-soundalike opening band. Including the samples in the live-show not only widened the possibilities, but also allowed all musicians to take a dance across the stage during "A sweet summer night..." A truly memorable night was then rounded out with Jens thumb-pianoing charmingly through "A little lost" (see here) and then grinning happily while the audience came "running with their heart on fire." The best nights always end too soon, even if you can watch Erlend Øye dance by himself to Bob Marley's "Waiting in vain"...
- Arnulf Köhncke