Francis and the Lights live at Le Poisson Rouge

Posted by The G on February 25, 2011 under G Reviews | 2 Comments to Read

Photos by G.

When you go to a Francis and the Lights show, you never know what to expect.  Last night was my fourth time seeing the soulful/funk/pop group at a sold out show at a sold out show at New York’s Le Poisson Rouge and once again, the show was entirely different than the previous three shows I’ve seen!  Lead singer Francis Farewell Starlite (yes, that’s really his name) performed a solo piano show – in the round!  I’ve seen them perform as a full band, with only two members and last night’s solo show. The arrangements for the songs have been changed every time!  This is a testament to the talents of Francis Farewell Starlite because after seeing over 200 bands last year, very few groups even bothered to mix it up this way.

He played for about an hour and a half, telling stories about the songs and performing some of his best loved tracks including “A Modern Promise,” “It’ll Be Better,” “Strawberries,” and “For Days.”  He also covered Elton John’s classic “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” Radiohead’s “How To Disappear Completely” and also performed Drake’s “Karaoke” (of which Francis produced). A video of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” will be coming soon, so stay tuned.  The show was really amazing and I got the opportunity to tell Francis my thoughts after the show was over.  As always, he is a super cool guy and he even took my friend and I backstage, chatted with us and gave us shots of Jack Daniels!

Francis and the Lights are playing the Coachella festival in April 2011, and I expect when a crowd that large discovers the magic and talent of Francis Farewell Starlite, word will spread like wildfire.  Once again I wish him the success he deserves and I can’t wait until his next show!  I highly recommend you catch Francis and the Lights when they come to your town!

See the set list after the jump.