1. For the first time since 1967, Lou has finally gotten his hair ‘right.’
2. He’s got the face of a broke-in catcher’s mitt and the arms of an Olympic javelin thrower.
3. For the first time since New York, Lou has finally gotten his sound right. Three guitars, an accordion, upright bass, a guy on laptop, a drummer with mallets and Laurie Anderson on occasional violin.
4. Only Lou Reed would play “Sweet Jane” as the SECOND song of the night. And then “I’m Set Free” as the fourth, and then “I’m Sticking With You”, introduced with faux-exasperation that THIS song — out of all the songs he has written — was the one they chose for Juno. All of which were worth the price of the admission.
5. Too much funereal-paced, mid-tempo mopery and middle-aged maundering — a la Magic & Loss and Songs For Drella — ensured that nobody had too much fun. But then Lou is an acknowledged master killjoy. It’s a big part of his charm.
TEXT BY JONATHAN VALANIA