Concert Review - They Might Be Giants/Michael Leviton

Recently, I caught They Might Be Giants at The Pageant in St. Louis. They put on a rocking show and managed to make songs like "Ana Ng" and "Don't Let's Start" still sound energetic and fun after all these years. Their set missed a few classics like "Particle Man", but I didn't mind too much since they played a lot of hits, including a great rendition of "Fingertips" (that song comprised of 5-second clips of a bunch of silly songs - I was marvelling at how they remembered them all without a teleprompter). They also rocked out on "Istanbul" for an encore. I enjoyed hearing a few songs from their "Venue Songs" project - their song about St. Louis' own Mississippi Nights was especially well-received. I have to admit that the show was nearly stolen by the opening act, Michael Leviton, who wields a mean ukelele. Leviton had a Jonathan Richman vibe as he strummed his way through a string of clever songs about loneliness, many with a nautical theme. He exhibited a great wit that offset the melancholy tunes, as evidenced by song titles like "You'll Pay for your Day on Pleasure Island". After the show, I picked up his debut album, and while the songs were more magical live, it's well worth a listen.