I think the problem with Malkmus at this point is that he?s having too much of a good time, if that makes any sense. And the persona he?s adopted and what he?s known for ? topical banter, interesting and always-different covers ? lends itself to mediocre shows. The music is secondary to the Malkmus. It?s all very loose and fun but hard to argue all that great. Did we really need a C+ version of ?Beginning to See the Light? and a failed attempt at some ancient Fleetwood Mac song? Probably not, but he likes to jam out with his buddies. I think Pavement came by its disheveled reputation more honestly and then, in fact, wasn?t all that disheveled by the end. Friday?s show was fine but left zero impression and was forgotten by the next day. (Sold-out, late-starting Friday show with a casual band on stage also isn't the great concert environment.) Malkmus?s solo catalogue is, in fact, really excellent and I?d like to see him and the band play it straight for a tour and pick the best songs and just rip through ?em, even if it means skipping the covers or even switching up the set lists all that much from show to show.
