Spring Break
Allen smokes, drinks and rocks
Lily Allen concert review
Casey Farrell
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Features
She's a rebel in an unconventional form, but don't be fooled by Lily Allen's short vintage dress, thick headband or sweet sounding voice. This girl packs a punch (and a middle finger), and if you've ever done her wrong, watch out.
Sunday night, Britain's pop superstar Lily Allen performed at the Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento.
Critics call her music a mix between ska, pop and hip-hop. The theater's vintage vibe set the tone perfectly for a show filled with the melodic keyboard, loud horns, pounding drums, clean guitar riffs and about 950 screaming fans.
The audience ranged widely from young high school girls dressed in sync with Allen's image, all the way to middle-aged men and women.
The bar was packed in the lobby and anticipation grew as The Bird and the Bee played an opening set before Allen set foot on stage.
Once the stage lights dropped and the entire venue went dark, the fans screamed; one trombone note started and the lights popped back on as Allen jumped on the stage.
The traditional cinema seating didn't work for any of the fans as the crowd left their seats and rushed down to the front of the stage.
The high energy of the band mixed with the crowd was out of control as hands flew in the air and people jumped up and down.
21-year-old Allen went from song to song, stopping in between to let her fans know what she really thinks, including choice words about President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.
She apologized to the crowd for not being as animated as usual because her legs hurt due to riding a mini bicycle around San Diego two days before, but promised a good show because she had all her "booze" lined up in front of her.
As she took a few shots from a lineup of red cups in front of her and had a couple cigarettes on stage, she gave details about each of her songs bashing men who had been mean to her, high school bullies and a previous boyfriend who was not particularly well endowed, giving the audience his full name.
Her bratty attitude is refreshing because she doesn't care what other people think and doesn't pretend to be something she's not.
The songs raged on, as the venue got hot and humid. She ended her set with an old-school Blondie song called "Heart of Glass."
Allen gave her last shot of Jagermeister to a guy in the crowd and walked off the side of the stage, ending a night of alcohol, cigarettes, profanity and what she really thinks about this world.
Casey Farrell can be reached at features@statehornet.com
Sunday night, Britain's pop superstar Lily Allen performed at the Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento.
Critics call her music a mix between ska, pop and hip-hop. The theater's vintage vibe set the tone perfectly for a show filled with the melodic keyboard, loud horns, pounding drums, clean guitar riffs and about 950 screaming fans.
The audience ranged widely from young high school girls dressed in sync with Allen's image, all the way to middle-aged men and women.
The bar was packed in the lobby and anticipation grew as The Bird and the Bee played an opening set before Allen set foot on stage.
Once the stage lights dropped and the entire venue went dark, the fans screamed; one trombone note started and the lights popped back on as Allen jumped on the stage.
The traditional cinema seating didn't work for any of the fans as the crowd left their seats and rushed down to the front of the stage.
The high energy of the band mixed with the crowd was out of control as hands flew in the air and people jumped up and down.
21-year-old Allen went from song to song, stopping in between to let her fans know what she really thinks, including choice words about President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.
She apologized to the crowd for not being as animated as usual because her legs hurt due to riding a mini bicycle around San Diego two days before, but promised a good show because she had all her "booze" lined up in front of her.
As she took a few shots from a lineup of red cups in front of her and had a couple cigarettes on stage, she gave details about each of her songs bashing men who had been mean to her, high school bullies and a previous boyfriend who was not particularly well endowed, giving the audience his full name.
Her bratty attitude is refreshing because she doesn't care what other people think and doesn't pretend to be something she's not.
The songs raged on, as the venue got hot and humid. She ended her set with an old-school Blondie song called "Heart of Glass."
Allen gave her last shot of Jagermeister to a guy in the crowd and walked off the side of the stage, ending a night of alcohol, cigarettes, profanity and what she really thinks about this world.
Casey Farrell can be reached at features@statehornet.com
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