Rilo Rocks the Troc

When we saw Jenny Lewis having dinner at Ly Michaels before her show at the Troc, we had to resist the urge to fold her up and try to squeeze her in our oversized bag. So. Damned. Cute.

An hour later, when we saw her lead her band, Rilo Kiley, on the actual stage, we would've thought twice about wanting to remake The Toy. Clad in platinum hot pants, stockings and heels, the musician was transformed from waifish cutie to singing siren.

Rilo Kiley put on a show that was pleasing to old and new fans alike. The setlist meandered evenly through their four-album career. Reaching way back to 2001's Take Offs and Landings, they dusted off gems such as "Wires and Waves," and later initiated a rollicking sing-a-long to "With Arms Outstretched," from The Execution of All Things.

Moving effortlessly between the earlier part of their catalog and their latest release, Under the Blacklight, the band gave the capacity audience exactly what it was looking for. We couldn't have asked for a better set list, though we could've done without "15," as it was odd to be instructed to wave our hands from side to side to a song about a man's inappropriate relationship with a 15-year-old. But we thought perhaps we were taking it too seriously. The song was followed up by "Rise up with Fists," a cover from Lewis's solo endeavor, Rabbit Fur Coat. Breakin' up, one of our favorite songs, was even better with cowbell, and one song had Lewis playing what could only be described as a mouth keytar. Who knew there was something weirder, and therefore more awesome, than a keytar?

There were songs that made us want to dance and songs we love for their lyrical honesty. We found ourselves seated next to a statistician from Toronto, who was just as big a fan as we were. By our calculations at the end of the night, the concert was 100% kick ass.

Set list (give or take two songs that we couldn't identify)
It's a hit
Close call
Portions for foxes
Paint's peeling
Breakin' up
Dreamworld
Moneymaker
Wires and waves
Ripcord
With arms outstretched
A Man/Me/Then Jim
Silver lining
I never
Fifteen
Rise up with fists
Give a little love
Does he love you?