Rilo Kiley- Yes! It's Just Like Heaven, May 10, 2025: First Tour In 17 Years!

 

So far, 2025 hasn't been a stellar year for attending concerts. I've gone to two shows with no real aspirations to see any concerts in the forthcoming future. I'm contemplating the 50th anniversary edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, partly for nostalgic reasons, but mainly to see Camper Van Beethoven, who I missed several years ago and I've always wanted to see them live. My preference generally is smaller venues, not only because the cost is usually more reasonable, but also I like to watch and hear a band up close, well close enough to see their faces.

 

Another factor in this whole concert thing has to do with the ability to see bands in other cities, most notably the U.S of A. I won't bore you with the details of the U.S./Canada relations at the moment, but I can't see myself traveling to the States (I live in Canada, if you haven't figured that out) in the near future. It's a shame because there are a number of interesting shows I would seriously consider driving to Minneapolis for, but from what I hear crossing the border is a hassle and more divisive than ever before.

 

 

A band near the top of my list is the recently reunited, Rilo Kiley who have begun to embark on a tour taking them all around the U.S. (and Vancouver, this past week) during May, a couple of nights in August, September and October and they've even added 6 additional dates since the tour began on May 5th. They hadn't performed together since 2008 and I'm pretty sure I said I would make an effort to see them if they ever got back together. I saw Jenny Lewis at the Winnipeg Folk Fest in 2015, she was amazing and she played several Rilo Kiley songs, but it's not quite the same. I probably won't see the group this tour, so the next best thing is watching and listening to live recordings. There is a ton of video footage on YouTube from most of the dates and so far I can find only one live audience audio recording and fortunately it's their highly anticipated set during the Just Like Heaven Festival in Pasadena, California on May 10th. It was their third show of the tour, so the band was primed for a great show in front of a huge audience. You can be the judge regarding the recording from the show (below), the sound is pretty decent and the setlist covers most of their best known songs from all their records (including The Frug, which I still think is hilarious). Which reminds me, it was perfect timing for a special reissue of  2002's, Execution Of All Things ("The Frozen Lake" edition on LP/bonus 7") ahead of the tour on April 25th, as well as a greatest hits album, That's How We Choose To Remember It, released a day before the Just Like Heaven concert on May 9th.

Enjoy! 

 

 Some random reviews from Rilo Kiley's set at the Just Like Heaven Festival:

 https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-05-11/rilo-kiley-just-like-heaven-jenny-lewis-vampire-weekend

 

 https://www.spin.com/2025/05/hot-as-hell-but-rilo-kiley-makes-it-just-like-heaven/

 

 https://news.pollstar.com/2025/05/12/just-like-heaven-delivers-on-nostalgic-indie-rock-thrills-with-rilo-kiley-reunion-vampire-weekend-bloc-party-live-review/

 

The original tour dates...

Added tour dates and notice how many shows are now sold out.

 

Please do NOT sell or profit from this recording!

Do NOT convert to lossy formats, except for personal use.

Please share!

 

 

RILO KILEY
Just Like Heaven Festival
Stardust Stage
Pasadena, CA
May 10, 2025

SOURCE:
SP-CMC-8 (w/Mods) > Sony PCM-M10 > Sandisk Mini-SD Card (64gb - Class 10)

TRANSFER:
.WAV (24 Bit) > Adobe Audition 2025 CC (normalize/amplify/tracking/dithering/downsampling) > .WAV (16 Bit) > Trader's Little Helper > FLAC (Level 6)

SETLIST:

01. Intro
02. The Execution of Things
03. Wires and Waves
04. Spectacular Views
05. The Moneymaker
06. Dreamworld
07. I Never
08. Paint's Peeling
09. Does He Love You?
10. Silver Lining
11. With Arms Outstretched
12. A Better Son/Daughter
13. Frug
14. Portions for Foxes

 

RILO KILEY- 2025-05-10 JLH- Pasadena, CA AUD FLAC.rar

Day 3: Rilo Kiley Live In Minneapolis 2003

I was looking for something more random to post for the third installment of the 12 Days Of Trouble. I already had an idea of what I wanted to post for about 75% of the posts when I decided the take the challenge, but I left open a couple of days to decide later. Most of the posts will have a connection in some way to each other and a clue to what's coming is that "I am stuck in the 90's", you'll see what I"m talking about next post.

I chose a Rilo Kiley show from 2003 for a couple of reasons. It's no secret, I'm a big fan of their first four albums (including their first album) and I have posted some shows in the past, including a Jenny Lewis set at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. She really is so sweet especially on the band's earlier shows (pre-2004) when they were much more low-key and less polished performers. There was something kind of charming about them that said "indie" on smaller labels with less attention and focus just on Lewis, but more on Rilo Kiley the band, if that makes sense.

Another reason I chose this show is because it is recorded at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis, a smaller intimate venue that I've seen a couple of great concerts at. This show has a quiet intimate mood to it that is perfectly matched with the venue and I now regret not making the trip south to see the show. (Unfortunately, the 400 Bar closed it's doors on January 1, 2013) The sound quality of the recording is fantastic taken from the soundboard and thanks to whoever recorded and posted the show on Dime. The setlist leans heavily towards The Execution of All Things album, but also includes early workings of It's A Hit and Portions For Foxes that would appear on their next album, More Adventurous which would be released a year later. The band would gain wider indie success with that album and the days of the small venues like the 400 Bar would be left behind when they signed with the majors with Under The Blacklight. Anyways, here's a look back 15 years ago at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis.
Enjoy!
#12daysoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or convert to mp3 (except for personal use)
Please share!

RILO KILEY
400 Bar
Minneapolis, MN
July 20. 2003
Soundboard

01. It's A Hit
02. Always
03. The Execution Of All Things
04. My Slumbering Heart
05. The Good That Won't Come Out
06. August
07. Paint's Peeling
08. Jenny, You're Barely Alive
09. A Better Son/Daughter
10. Bulletproof
11. With Arms Outstretched
12. Salute My Shorts!
13. Hail To Whatever You Found In The Sunlight That Surrounds You
14. Portions For Foxes / Spectacular Views
15. Capturing Moods

RILO KILEY- 2003-07-20 400 Bar, Minneapolis, MN FLAC. rar

Jenny Lewis- Winnipeg Folk Festival, July 12, 2015

 Wow, it's been quite a while since my last post! The last time I posted it was still summer, the leaves were on the trees and I was wearing shorts. As a matter of fact, fall has also (almost) passed and now there is  snow on the ground, I switched to winter tires on my car, the Grey Cup (was here) is done and I'm wearing a tuque (for all you non-Canadians, a knit hat), scarf and down-filled jacket. Yes, summer is a distant memory and I'm already dreaming of the days warm enough to ride my scooter again!

To take you back to a sunny warm summer day, I'm reliving a great concert from this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival with Jenny Lewis. Lewis performed on the final night of the festival preceded by the band, Dawes and followed by the headliners for the weekend, Wilco. Dawes was great, but I didn't have my recording gear setup yet because I had to eat sometime that day, so I didn't record them. The Wilco set was marred by a serious thunderstorm that postponed and eventually cancelled the rest of the show only a few songs into their set. Very disappointed!! What I wasn't disappointed in was the amazing set for the former Rilo Kiley co-founder, Jenny Lewis. Though I hadn't been as impressed with her solo albums than her work with Rilo, she worked it well live and proved she is very capable fronting her own solo band. Her set was heavy on her solo albums especially her latest, The Voyager, but I had a smile on my face when she performed a couple of Rilo Kiley songs. I left feeling a reacquainted love for Lewis and was happy the evening wasn't a complete washout.

Despite being outside, the recording sounded pretty good. There's the usual chatter from neighbouring tarp sitters, but the sound is loud and clear with no real issue with wind. With Wilco it was a different story, the wind and pelting rain was crazy! I won't bother posting their short set.
Enjoy!

JENNY LEWIS
Winnipeg Folk Festival
Birds Hill Park, MB
July 12, 2015
Audience MASTER

Sony ECM-DS70P mic> Tascam DR-07> SD > 16 bit Wav>
Direct Wave MP3 splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Silver Lining
02. Head Underwater
03. The Moneymaker
04. The Next Messiah
05. With Arms Outstretched
06. Just One Of The Guys
07. You Are What You Love
08. Rise Up With Fists!!
09. She's Not Me
10. Portions For Foxes
11. A Better Son/Daughter
12. Acid Tongue

JENNY LEWIS- 2015-07-12 Winnipeg Folk Festival, Birds Hill, MB FLAC. rar

Rilo Kiley- 1st Album

I thought since I talked so highly about Rilo Kiley's earlier albums in an earlier post, I figured it would be fitting to post their very first album. This rare hard-to-find self-titled release was put out by the band independently in 1999 and there was three versions, the first pressing had 8 tracks (and a hidden track), the second pressing reissue featured the same cover, but the track listings was slightly different (9 songs with a different and longer hidden track). The third version was titled, Initial Friend E.P., with 8 songs and no hidden tracks. I'm not sure what version I have (I have a burned disc I made years ago), but it contains all the tracks that appear on all three versions of the CD, including the hidden tracks along with a couple of bonus early mixes of The Frug and 85.

Overall, this early CD is a good (not great) indication of better things to come. It has a certain charm and innocence that originally attracted me to the band. Still, I recommend you check out their next three albums for the full picture.

RILO KILEY
Self-Titled (1st Album)

1. Frug
2. Papillon
3. Always
4. 85
5. Sword
   
6. Asshole
   
7. Gravity
   
8. Troubadours
   
9. Teenage Love Song
   
10. Glendora
11. Steve
12. (hidden track) Rained The Day
13. The Frug (early mix)
14. 85 (early mix)
15. Teenage Love Song (later mix)
16. (hidden track) Troubadours, The Annoying Noise Of Death

RILO KILEY- 1st CD. rar

Rilo Kiley @ Bimbo's 2004-09-23

For some reason, I've been re-listening to a lot of Rilo Kiley lately. I've discovered my new co-worker is a bit of a fan and we've discussed how disappointed we were with their last album, Under The Blacklight. I'm a pretty big fan of Jenny Lewis and her band and I started to dig the band before they became more widely known and I must admit, they sound like a different band with the release of their major label debut. I don't know what happens to bands when they gain a wider audience, they somehow lose that "indie-sound" edge, if there is such a thing, and start to sound like every other band on generic mainstream radio. The band used to be refreshingly unique with their quirky lyrics and charming beautiful ballads, but instead the band gets dragged down by it's the slick production and produces a predictable commercial sound. There are some decent moments on Under the Blacklight, but if you want to hear Rilo at their best (according to me, anyways), give a listen to The Execution Of All Things, Take Offs And Landings and More Adventurous. I don't know what the future for Rilo Kiley holds, it's been 3 years since the release of Blacklight and Jenny has been busy with her solo projects, so fans should revisit their older work.

I'm posting one of my favourite Rilo Kiley shows from 2004. This concert was recorded in San Francisco at Bimbo's during their More Adventurous tour, so the setlist features many songs from that album and Execution Of All Things. The concert recording is soundboard quality, so it sounds great and the band is in top form. If you're a fan of Rilo Kiley or want to sample the band live, this is a fine place to start.
Enjoy!
(p.s. Hey Sumi!- Jenny Lewis is NOT Huey Lewis's daughter!)

RILO KILEY
Bimbo's 365 Club,
San Francisco, CA
September 23, 2004

1) It's A Hit
2) Good That Won't Come Out
3) My Slumbering Heart
4) More Adventurous
5) Portions for Foxes
6) Three Hopeful Thoughts
7) Absence Of God
8) A Man/Me/Then Jim
9) Don't Deconstruct
10) Pictures of Success
11) Small Figures In A Vast Expanse
12) Love and War
13) I Never
14) Does He Love You?
Encore:
15) Simply Irresistable
16) The Execution Of All Things
17) A Better Son/Daughter

RILO KILEY-2004-09-23 Bimbo's, SF. rar