Concert Review: Jenny Lewis live in Detroit
By: Grace Srinivasan
The thunderstorms rolled in on Wednesday night July 14, in Detroit but that didn’t stop Jenny Lewis from putting on a phenomenal show. Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada, Country-rock artist Jenny Lewis is on a headlining tour, called Joy’all. With Cass Mccombs, Jenny O, and Hayden Pedigo as her supporting acts, she is hitting 13 different cities, Detroit being number 5 on the list.
Hayden Pedigo and Jenny O kicked off the night with a spectacular opening set. Hayden opened with “Some Kind of Shepherd,” an instrumental song played on the electric guitar. All of his music was instrumental, switching between electric and acoustic guitars all night. Hayden made it a point to encourage those in the audience that even if you have stage fright you can do it, referencing playing on stage. Jenny O hit the stage next in her light pink parachute pants and colorful long-sleeve corset top. She entranced the audience by playing “You Are Loved Eternally”. In the middle of the set, she put on a pair of giant glasses which made the audience laugh. Both performers set the stage for Jenny to come on next.
The incense burning on stage filled the aroma of the room. The second Jenny entered the room the crowd erupted in cheers. The stage was decorated with red streamers, as a smaller circular stage stood in the middle, red streamers surrounding the bottom. She came out in a black leather jumpsuit and silver detailing lining the collar. Her hair was perfectly blown out as she flashed her bright smile that made me smile the second I saw her. She opened the night with “Just One Of The Guys” which was my personal favorite. The microphone was red, matching the red theme perfectly. Jenny next transitioned into “Do Si Do” which amped up the crowd. Jenny was very energetic and interactive with the crowd throughout the show. When transitioning into each song, the big screen would display the song title and an image to go along with it, in the shape of a picture frame. A few minutes later Jenny walked up to the barricade to my friend and I and asked how we were. My friend answered that we were good and that we first met at a Jenny show in 2021. To which she replied, that was awesome with a big smile. During “Puppy and a Truck,” a dial phone sat at the front of the stage. It rang and she picked it up and had a conversation with her dog named Bobby before performing the song. The crowd was the loudest during this song, as it is a very popular one. Another fan interaction happened between my friend and Jenny. My friend held up a sign on her phone asking if she could throw her heart-shaped sunglasses on stage, to which Jenny replied “Yes”. She threw them and Jenny put them on while grabbing her guitar. She thanked my friend for the glasses saying “Thanks for these glasses, I can’t see but they look cool”.
Throughout the show, Jenny would throw out guitar picks into the crowd, and even cherry chapstick, during “Cherry Baby”. Big red and white balloons were thrown into the crowd during that song as well. The crowd was having a ball while hitting them back and forth between the crowd, some even landed on the stage. Jenny hit a few into the crowd as well which was fun to watch. Jenny performed “Little White Dove” next. She stood on the small circular stage at the front of the stage while performing. The wind was blowing from below the stage which caused her hair to blow gracefully during the song which added even more detail to the show. She closed out the show with “Acid Tongue”. She had all her band standing behind her singing backup vocals, which was very beautiful. They complimented her voice very well. She even changed up the lyrics in the song and put in the word “Detroit '', which enabled excited cheers from the crowd. After Acid Tongue she stood next to her band and they all took a bow and exited the stage. After they left the stage we thought the show was over, but the band was still in the back, standing around the side stage. Surely enough they returned minutes later for an encore. Jenny then highlighted each of her band members, Nicole, Rachel, Megan, and Ryan. During Megan’s introduction, Jenny mentioned she was from Detroit, making the crowd cheer graciously. The encore consisted of “Essence of Life” and “See Fernando” which was the perfect way to end the night. Fernando was very upbeat and made the crowd get on their feet and dance.
Jenny Lewis put on an incredible, engaging show which left the crowd wanting more. She is an amazing performer and has a contagious energy. You can tell this is what Jenny was meant to do, aside from her outstanding vocals, her stage presence was exhilarating. She knew how to captivate the audience well. Jenny was made for the stage. Detroit was very lucky to have the opportunity to dance the night away with her. If you have the chance to see Jenny Lewis live you will not want to pass it up, her shows will leave you wanting more.