Staff Editor on April 8th, 2018

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Kevin Morby’s two sold-out shows at the Troubadour spoke to not only the strength of the material on his latest album, last summer’s “City Music,” but his ability to navigate a show — going from dancey to reflective to upbeat to somber and back. At Saturday’s second night, he also played peacemaker, as some sort of dispute in the middle of the crowd interrupted the flow. He amiably urged the crowd to be “aware of others’ space,” adding, “Let’s a have a good rock show.”

Morby also acknowledged his parents in the balcony, adding that he had tried to convince them to perform with him tonight but they declined. Nonetheless, mom and dad got a big cheer. Morby said he was happy to be in L.A., particularly at the Troubadour, the first venue he attended upon arriving here.

As has been his habit, he closed the main set with “Beautiful Strangers” (solo acoustic) before returning for a three-song encore ending with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”

Speaking of habits, Hand Habits — the band fronted Meg Duffy, Morby’s guitarist — kicked off the night with a winning set of their own. Duffy explained that she is “Lois Lane” when playing as Hand Habits, and then is “Superwoman” when she plays with Morby. She wrote her setlist on a postcard and shared that she is going to mail it to her dad. Speaking of covers, Hand Habits played a cover of “Only Living Boy in New York” by Simon & Garfunkel that inspired a big sing-along.

Setlist: Singing Saw, City Music, Cry Baby, 1234, Abroad My Train, Harlem River, Parade, Miles Miles Miles, Destroyer, I Have Been To the Mountain, Downtown’s Lights, Beautiful Strangers (Solo). Encore: Come To Me Now, Dry Your Eyes, You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover)

Photos by Jessica Hanley