| Paul Westerberg @ First Avenue |
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| Written by Rob van Alstyne | |
| Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 06:28 AM | |
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 Paul Westerberg - Photo by Steve Cohen I knew going in that this would be more of an Inside the Actor’s Studio for musicians sort of affair than a real deal concert, but it was a little frustrating how flat much of the conversation between MGD craft series host Warren Zanes (himself a musician who formerly fronted the Del Fuegos) and Westerberg was given that it ate up the majority of the stage time. Zanes, clearly enamored of Westerberg and former touring partners during the ’80s with their respective bands, was on a nostalgia kick from the get-go, focusing almost exclusively on Westerberg’s days fronting the Replacements and making some relatively outlandish claims in the process (among them that he felt Let It Be was the first “true” solo album from Westeberg).
 Photo by Steve Cohen
Even given the relatively hum drum questions Westerberg managed to be a wry and often entertaining interviewee when the mood struck him. He revealed personal tidbits sure to pique the interest of his notoriously obsessive fan base (among them that he’d gone through a creative dry spell and not written any new songs for over a year until very recently) and clearly enjoyed himself at points - such as during his impromptu mini-performance of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” replete with cigarette dangling from mouth. All in all, it wasn’t exactly a magical night (Westerberg summed up the event as follows: “Sometimes you have to do certain stuff that allows you to do the stuff you actually want to do”), but it still provided a glimpse into the inner workings of one of Minnesota’s most beloved musical minds.
For further thoughts on the gig and some snippets of Westerberg’s interview answers head to Backstage. Setlist:Let the Bad Times Roll Additional photos by Steve Cohen:          |
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| Last Updated: Friday, September 28, 2007 at 02:09 PM |
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