2000s indie rock darlings Rilo Kiley broke up 15 years ago, after the band's interpersonal relationships strained and took a toll in the studio, on the road, and in the quartet's regular lives. But with the perspective of age — emotional maturity, gratitude, new life priorities like marriage and children — the Los Angeles band reconnected as friends, first and foremost, amid the uncertainty of the early pandemic.
Flash forward to two and a half weeks ago. On May 5, Rilo Kiley ended their hiatus with their first reunion show since 2008, kicking off a full-blown US tour in San Luis Obispo, CA. Last night (May 21), the band made their long-awaited return to Vancouver, gracing the historic Commodore Ballroom on their sole Canadian stop.
And the night was worth the wait. Rilo Kiley were in top form, having rekindled their youthful flame and, with the distance of time, developed a newfound appreciation for each and the impact their music has had on an entire generation.
Jenny Lewis, lead guitarist Blake Sennett, bassist Pierre "Duke" de Reeder, drummer Jason Boesel, and touring guitarist/keyboardist Harrison Whitford (best known for collaborating with Phoebe Bridgers) knocked out a career-spanning performance that skewed towards 2004's breakthrough, More Adventurous, and away from their 2001 debut, Take Offs and Landings, but only by a song or two either way.
Like Rilo Kiley, opener Morgan Nagler treads themes of heartbreak and a search for her truest self. The fellow Angeleno set a lighthearted tone, with acoustic guitar in hand and Orenda Fink of dream-pop duo Azure Ray on bass, melodica and harmonica. Together, they eased through dusty strummer "Born to Ride" by Nagler's band, Whispertown, as well as ambling recent singles "Cradle the Pain" and "Orange Wine." There was also a rollicking number about her dad being on acid, and a song where Nagler dismissed the idea that Jesus was going to save her.
The spark of instant recognition when seeing live music is a feeling to live for, and Rilo Kiley offered plenty including the gloomy note-picked melody of "Paint's Peeling" and the opening chords of the wistful "Does He Love You?" And of course, fans immediately came undone for "Portions for Foxes," the ripper of all Rilo Kiley rippers; Lewis's saccharine yearning mounted and mounted until her desire erupted, the audience yelping with her in unison, "Come here!"
If Rilo Kiley soaked up all the flower-bearing fans' adoration for themselves, no one would have scoffed. It's their triumphant comeback, after all. However, the band invited Nagler out to pantomime as Lewis sang about doing backbends and made-up(?) dances called the Robocop, the Freddie, and the Smurf during "The Frug." The playful tune sounded like it could have been a children's song; well, except the part where she sang with honey in her voice, "And I can hate your girl / I can tell you that she's real pretty / I can take my clothes off."
For Azure Ray fans who hadn't been following along with Rilo Kiley's current tour online, Fink's full-set accompaniment of Nagler came as a pleasant surprise. But to see Fink join Rilo Kiley on trumpet for some of the band's most beloved songs, including "It's a Hit," "Pictures of Success" and their ultimate tear-jerking three-act piece "A Man / Me / Then Jim" was nothing short of magical. Fink's participation clearly meant a lot to Rilo Kiley too, as Lewis stopped playing to watch Fink back Sennett while he wailed on his guitar.
The patient, devoted fans at the Commodore were living proof that Rilo Kiley's rich narratives and character sketches of heartbreak, grief, idealistic adolescence, inescapable pasts and unimaginable futures contain a special evergreen seed. Rilo Kiley have nothing to prove, but the magnitude of the influence they've had on a myriad artists, among them sibling bands Waxahatchee and Swearin', became abundantly clear seeing them tear through the gigantic breakdown and noise-laden outro of the propulsive earworm "Spectacular Views."
As "Spectacular Views" neared its crest, Lewis and the audience joined together in a collective cry: "It's so fucking beautiful!" Rilo Kiley were exactly that.