Photos: She & Him at the Ford
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By LAWRENCE MANN
Fans were was taken to church on Saturday night, not by Hozier, but by She & Him and the beautiful Ford Theatre.
The venue was the perfect spiritual setting for this evening of mostly Los Angeles musicians. The church reference was no exaggeration. The venue has a concrete cross, two tall turrets on each side, large mission doors and rock walls that give it a Puebloan Church feel. Add lights and the Hollywood Hills as the backdrop, and it made for a magical night.
She & Him — the musical alliance of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward — were touring in support of their forthcoming album, “Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson” (out July 22), and their set was front-loaded with songs that would have made Wilson smile. In all, they Ward, Deschanel and their band (which included Jessica Rotter from opening band Jems) performed 10 songs from “Melt Away,” including “Do It Again” (on the album, Wilson himself appears).
After working together for 16 years, the duo were hitting on all cylinders. Ward’s gruff yet melodic voice works fantastic with Deschanel, who told some jokes, played the ukulele and tambourine while Ward churned out tasteful guitar licks. She & Him performed a total of 10 songs from their three albums of originals, capping the main set with “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? from their 2008 debut album. During three encores, they visited songs by Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, ending the night with the latter’s 1956 tune “I Put a Spell on You” (which the duo recorded and released in 2010).
Jems — Emily Colombier, Jessica Rotter and Sarah Margaret Huff — opened the night with a harmony-rich set that included a cameo by Deschanel for “Baby I’m Yours,” the 1965 song, originally recorded by Barbara Lewis, which became a chart hit over the years for several artists.
Setlist: Deirdre**, Good to My Baby**, Don’t Worry Baby**, Wouldn’t It Be Nice**, Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)**, Melt Away*, ‘Til I Die**, Darlin’**, Kiss Me Baby**, Gonna Get Along Without You Now (Skeeter Davis), Turn to White, Magic Trick (M. Ward), Change Is Hard, This Is Not a Test. Encore 1: I’ve Got Your Number Son, I Thought I Saw Your Face Today, In the Sun, I Was Made for You, Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? Encore 2: You Really Got a Hold on Me (Smokey Robinson), You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio (Joni Mitchell), I Could’ve Been Your Girl, Do It Again**, Sweet Darlin’. Encore 3: I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins)
* Brian Wilson song, ** Beach Boys song
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