Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis, gave an energetic performance Friday at the House of Blues as a part of her “On the Line” tour — promoting her fourth solo album which came out in March.
Lewis, who gained fame for being the lead vocalist for the now disbanded indie rock band Rilo Kiley, kicked off Friday’s show by sitting perched on a pink floral piano and sang “Heads Gonna Roll”, an introspective yet tongue-in-cheek ballad about a complicated relationship and the opening song off of her latest album, “On the Line.”
When Lewis began singing “Happy,” she seemed very satisfied when performing it, which made it one of her best performances of the night — in spite of its repetitive lyrics and lack of flair. At the end of the song, Lewis said, “For the record, I really do believe in the pursuit of happiness, do what makes you happy.”
Prior to the start of Lewis’ set, her team added lucite rotary phones around the stage. These phones, which were on stage for the entire performance, were used only once during “She’s Not Me.” The venue was suddenly filled with the unmistakable ringing of a phone. Lewis picked up a call from one of the light-up phones and the night’s opening act, The Watson Twins, were on the other end to ask what Lewis thought of the crowd.
In response to the Twins, Lewis yelled “I love Boston!” when asked what she thought of the crowd. Fittingly, she then brought out both of the twins out as backing vocals on for “Rise Up with Fists!!” and “You Are What You Love.”
The energy completely changed in the room when she sang “With Arms Outstretched,” the first Rilo Kiley song Lewis performed that night. At one point, Lewis and her band stopped playing and held out their mics to the audience so they could finish the song. If there was any song the audience had been waiting for, it seemed to be this one.
Keen to capitalize off of her audience’s nostalgia, Lewis launched into “Silver Lining,” one of Rilo Kiley’s most popular songs. From the first guitar riff, the entire audience collectively held their breath as her crew members launched giant pink and blue balloons into their air.
To give a comedic edge to the end of the show, a member of Lewis’ band came on stage in a rabbit costume during “Rabbit Hole,” while trying to tempt her with different vices, such as an inflatable beer mug and an actual s’more with a jumbo marshmallow on a twig. Eventually, Lewis succumbed and the rabbit carried her off stage.
But the audience wasn’t going to let her leave without an encore and she seemed eager to deliver. After a minute of cheering her name Lewis and her band reappeared, opening the encore with “Dogwood,” an emotional ballad about a relationship that no longer works despite the couple’s best efforts.
Knowing that her fans were hoping for another taste of Rilo Kiley’s discography, Lewis left her piano and gave a theatrical performance of “I Never,” winking at audience members who cheered loudly as she delivered the infamous lyrics “‘Cause I’ve been bad/ I’ve lied, cheated, stolen/ And been ungrateful for what I have/ And I’m afraid habits rule my wakin’ life.”
And with a curtsy, Lewis was gone. Although she has a throaty, deep voice that limited her vocal range, she is fantastic at playing playing to her strengths — mainly as a performer. When she’s not making direct eye contact with audience members, she’s leaning over and directly singing to them or holding their hands during emotional sections of songs. Her prowess as a performer is what made her show Friday stand out.
