Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard Entertainment Art Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL October 26, 2009

These two are some of the best singer-songwriters in American music today; the combined cannon of songs that Farrar and Gibbard have contributed through their respective bands (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt, Death Cab for Cutie) cover almost three decades. Although separated in age by almost ten years (Farrar being the oldest), the duo took the stage as equals brought together by the work of Kerouac. Farrar, almost always a stoic figure on stage, appeared loose as he and Gibbard—looking much like John Fogerty circa late 1960s—approached their guitars. Joined by bassist Nick Harmer (Death Cab for Cutie), drummer Jon Wurster (Superchunk, Bob Mould) and multi-instrumentalist Mark Spencer (Son Volt), “California Zephyr” opened the evening with Gibbard’s gentle vocals filling the room like a warm West Coast breeze.

Farrar immediately followed by taking lead vocals on “Low Life Kingdom” backed by Spencer’s sorrowful pedal steel guitar work. Possessing a voice that is more suited for the late 18th century than 21st century, Farrar delivered as he always has; few inflections but carrying an emotional weight behind each word. Watching Farrar trade vocals with Gibbard probably brought back memories to some in the audience of the now fabled Farrar/Tweedy partnership in Uncle Tupelo. Adding to those memories must have been the thought that it’s been 15 years since Farrar performed on Lincoln Avenue. Just a few feet north of Lincoln Hall (formerly the 3 Penny Cinema) is the former spot of the legendary Lounge Ax, which Uncle Tupelo last performed in 1994.

As the band worked primarily from the soundtrack material, Gibbard kept the mood lively in between songs by cracking the occasional joke (describing how the next project with Farrar would be a kid’s album). In some ways, Gibbard’s presence gave Farrar a break from having to play the part of the frontman and allowed him to step back into one of his true strengths as a rhythm guitarist. Each performer had shining moments; Gibbard’s soothing tone on “One Fast Move or I’m Gone” counterbalanced by Farrar’s brooding rendition of “Final Horrors.” A true spotlight for the entire band came during “Breath Our Iodine.” What was a simple acoustic driven song on the soundtrack became a thumping, electric fueled beast on stage with Farrar leading the way with some fine bluesy fingerpicking. Wurster and Harmer locked gears for what was by far the heaviest beat of the night.

The quintet rounded out the night by adding covers by Tom Waits (“Old Shoes (And Picture Postcards)”) and Bob Dylan (“Absolutely Sweet Marie”). Farrar’s “Voodoo Candle” from his 2001 solo debut Sebastopol and Gibbard’s rendition of “Couches In Alleys,” a song which he collaborated on with Belgian electronica artist Styrofoam, were as close as the two came to bringing their respective catalogs to the stage. It was just enough to leave the crowd wondering what else the team of Farrar and Gibbard could accomplish for they indeed scored a success on stage.

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