Paul Westerberg

If influence paid the bills, there would be few musicians on the planet richer than Paul Westerberg. Everyone from Green Day to the Cribs, to Against Me! to Ryan Adams have sung his praises as a songwriter, frontman, performer and all around musicians musician and it’s mainly been through his work as a member of the recently reformed Replacements. A legendary band no doubt, but some of Westerberg’s best work has come from under his own name and while the Replacements’ reunion is a thing of true glory, missing out on the likes of Dyslexic Heart, Waiting For Somebody and Love Untold is a kick in the teeth in and of itself, especially missing out of them live. Westerberg’s solo gigs take everything ramshackle, haphazard and brilliant about the ‘Mats’ shows , dials down the volume (slightly) and dials up the intimacy, leaving just Westerberg on stage with a guitar, the primal, wounded howl of his voice and a room full of people either roaring along to Replacements classics, in rapt attention to the man’s deep solo cuts or in hysterics to his mildly incoherent stage banter. It’s the kind of concert that’s made by the audience as much as it’s made by the artist, and while most major league rock bands of today come from a DIY circuit that was built on concerts like those, a Paul Westerberg show is a chance to see a show like that from the man who invented shows like that. It’s an unmissable sight, one that we won’t see as the reunion tour rolls on but the best things come to those who wait, and this is something worth waiting a very long time for.

Formerly and best known as the lead singer and guitarist of The Replacements, Paul Westerberg is an insanely talented musician who has gone on to create some fantastic music of his own, as well as maintaining good connections with his former band members. The punk rock vibe of the band has altered into more alternative rock of today, and he creates and records his work from his home studio in his basement.
Much of his solo work has been self released, yet has done remarkably well, sometimes charting, and gaining much critical acclaim. He opened the show with Call That Gone, which was one of his solo songs that proved extremely popular, and the majority of the audience appeared to know the lyrics and were singing along enthusiastically. His guitar solos were incredible, they weren’t overly self-indulgent which was fantastic, but really showcased his talent. The band behind supporting him were also a group of very talented musicians. They worked in sync perfectly with Westerberg, and it appeared as though they had been playing together for years and years the way that their harmonies and riffs played over each other.
Although Westerberg has been around for many years now, he is still a fantastic performer, musician, and crowd pleaser.