It’s hard to believe that Jenny Lewis has been an indie rock mainstay for almost 25 years. She first burst onto the scene as lead singer and guitarist of Rilo Kiley, and since the release of their debut EP in 1999, she’s been dashing through genres and writing songs about love and heartbreak.
After Rilo Kiley’s 2013 breakup, Lewis was prolific with new material and touring, releasing solo albums as well as collaborative work with Johnathan Rice, The Watson Twins and her supergroup Nice as Fuck. After spending much of 2021 playing arena shows opening for Harry Styles, Lewis is back on the road solo again promoting her breezy new album “Joy’All.” Her energetic show Tuesday night at New York’s The Rooftop at Pier 17 brought a great bounce to the new music from her fourth solo album and added a cheery sheen to her older material.
Lewis began the set with a blissed-out version of her 2014 single “Just One of the Guys,” which served as a great introduction to her Western-clad band, consisting of drummer Meg Coleman, locked-in bassist Ryan Madora, keyboard player and vocalist Jess Nolan, and guitar and pedal steel player Nicole Lawrence. Trading in the jagged rock edges of her previous backing bands, Lewis’ group is smooth and lush, creating a bed of sound that could be coming from a needle-popping record player. The country tinge gave a different dimension to stomping hits such as “She’s Not Me” and “Red Bull & Hennessy,” with Nolan and Lawrence trading off tasteful solos. Meanwhile, Coleman’s versatility with the kit added some unexpected sounds, including playing the kit without sticks for gentle “Joy’All” single “Puppy and a Truck.”
Meanwhile, Lewis was all smiles throughout the set, clearly thrilled to be sharing her new style with fans. Far removed from the jittery intensity of her early performances with Rilo Kiley, the singer spent most of her time dancing and singing on an elevated platform in a biker-vibe jumpsuit. Grinning her way through poison-kissed lyrics like “He took me to a graveyard / I thought he’d kill me there / And he kissed me on the corner / While the nuns of Harlem stared,” Lewis’ heart was clearly full while playing material in her onetime home of New York City.
The joy translated into her vocals, which are growing more and more honeyed through the years. From her vibrato in the torchy “Acid Tongue” to some genuine grit during “The Next Messiah,” Lewis’ voice was strong but floated effortlessly over the instrumentation. She seemed especially rejuvenated by the new material, finding a pocket for album tracks like “Apples and Oranges” and “Cherry Baby” that made them sound like old favorites.
“There’s no crying in rock ‘n’ roll,” Lewis quipped during one one happy tears moment, remixing the “League of Their Own” quote to show her appreciation that fans were still connecting with her songs. And even though she brought many fans to their own emotional apex during the encore with the sole Rilo Kiley song of the night— the singalong classic “With Arms Outstretched” — her music, past and future, left everyone smiling.
