{"id":875,"date":"2025-05-13T17:23:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/hot-as-hell-but-rilo-kiley-makes-it-just-like-heaven\/"},"modified":"2025-05-13T17:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T17:23:04","slug":"hot-as-hell-but-rilo-kiley-makes-it-just-like-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/hot-as-hell-but-rilo-kiley-makes-it-just-like-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot as Hell, but Rilo Kiley Makes it Just Like Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9828-e1747156471858.jpg\" width=\"\" height=\"\" alt=\"Jenny Lewis of Rico Kiley (Credit: Ashley Osborn)\"><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI never, never, never saw so many people in my whole life.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is what Jenny Lewis said after singing \u201cI Never\u201d about halfway through Rilo Kiley\u2019s set Saturday night, and yeah, it makes sense. The last time the L.A. natives played their hometown was the summer of 2008, for what turned out to be their then-final show. The band split shortly after due to the romantic and creative tensions between Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett. And with Lewis since moving onto a successful solo career, it felt likely to remain their final show.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So this reunion was a surprise to everyone, including Lewis, who at one point told the audience: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to be here with you all, but mostly\u2026\u201d She then gestured to her bandmates and said: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to be here with <em>you<\/em> all.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>More from Spin:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/wilco-celebrates-mothers-day-in-chattanooga-tennessee\/\">Wilco Celebrates Mother\u2019s Day in Chattanooga, Tennessee<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/road-work-farm-aid-newport-jazz\/\">Road Work: Farm Aid, Newport Jazz, Making Time \u221e<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2025\/05\/left-of-the-dial-memphis-is-raised-by-wxyrs-sound\/\">Left of the Dial: Memphis is Raised by WYXR\u2019s Sound<\/a>\n\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"1613\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-1290x1613.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-464190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-1290x1613.jpg 1290w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-340x425.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975-498x623.jpg 498w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9975.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jenny Lewis (Credit: Ashley Osborn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>They picked the right time, though. Their music remains hugely influential on both modern indie (Phoebe Bridgers) and pop (Olivia Roderigo) music, while fans from their original run are now in their 30s and 40s and ready to revisit the songs that provided a caustically witty soundtrack to the flirtations, relationships, and heartbreaks of their 20s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To put it simply, Rilo Kiley was the clear draw of this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/justlikeheavenfest.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Just Like Heaven<\/a>, the annual Pasadena music festival dedicated to the indie rock and electropop of the 2000s\/early 2010s. Or, in terms of mood and aesthetics, making the Rose Bowl\u2019s Brookside Park feel like the 2005 Coney Island Siren Music Festival. As someone in his mid-40s who loves indie rock (and was at those old Siren Festivals), every detail of the fest felt catered to me, from the food to the merch to a dance floor where the very same DJ I danced to every weekend in my 20s was spinning.<\/p>\n<p>Bands started playing at noon, but the nearly 100-degree heat kept the daytime crowds thinner than years past. Which was a shame, because the temperature didn\u2019t stop most artists from giving it all on stage. London\u2019s Block Party played their first US show in years, with lead singer Kele Okereke showing (across hits like \u201cHelicopter\u201d and \u201cThis Modern Love\u201d) that his voice can still go from sharp post-punk speak-singing to soaring theatricality on a dime.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Perfume Genius, a newer artist by this festival\u2019s standards, swayed and sashayed with emotional vocals and and core-defying moves even during sun\u2019s hottest hour. The also recently reunited TV On The Radio delivered a tight, propulsive set and (surprisingly) the only political messages of the day, with an intro of \u201cFuck these fascists comma fuck these fascists comma fuck these fascists comma fuck these fascists \u201d for \u201cTrouble\u201d and guitarist Kyp Malone\u2019s \u201cSomebody I Love is Palestinian\u201d T-shirt.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9919.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-464191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9919.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9919-340x425.jpg 340w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9919-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/static.spin.com\/files\/2025\/05\/JLH25_AOsborn_RiloKiley-9919-498x623.jpg 498w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Credit: Ashley Osborn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>However, by 8:40pm, the sun was down and the crowds seemed to have doubled in size for Rilo Kiley. More than that, from the first notes of \u201cThe Execution of All Things,\u201d the audience was re-energized and ready to dance. The band returned this energy in kind, as across the next hour, you\u2019d never guess this group hadn\u2019t played regularly together for years. From a brightly shimmering \u201cWires and Waves\u201d to a darkly grooving \u201cThe Moneymaker,\u201d they played songs from all their albums, even going back to their early cult hit \u201cFrug,\u201d complete with Lewis doing the song\u2019s signature dance moves and the audience joining her bandmates for their backing vocals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Numbers like this and the indie rock torch-song \u201cI Never\u201d were dramatically thrilling reminders of why Jenny Lewis was <em>and still is<\/em> the queen of her scene (hence her actual tiara). Her every gesture and expression made the audience go wild. She elicited cheers with a mere eyebrow raise on \u201cPaint\u2019s Peeling,\u201d made hearts swoon with a kiss and middle finger during \u201cDoes He Love You?\u201d\u2019s explosive outro, and got the crowd singing for \u201cWith Arms Outstretched\u201d to only then immediately silence them for the start of \u201cA Better Son\/Daughter.\u201d Maybe it\u2019s her past as an actor, but Lewis knows exactly what choice to make in each moment to work an audience.<\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t a Jenny Lewis solo show, though, as her bandmates shined just as brightly. Sennet effortlessly commanded the crowd on each guitar solo and his lead vocal number \u201cDreamworld.\u201d The lively interplay between him, bassist Pierre de Reeder, and drummer Jason Boesel was infectious, too. From the easy flow to the genuine smiles, all four members seemed to be having what you want most from a favorite band on their reunion tour: fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>By the time they closed with their \u201cour relationship is fucked, isn\u2019t it?\u201d anthem \u201cPortions For Foxes,\u201d Rilo Kiley\u2019s set had been so electric and fulfilling that, honestly, it\u2019s hard to figure out why they weren\u2019t the headliners. Nothing was going to top them, especially not on their turf.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spin.com\/2021\/07\/the-greatest-rock-stars-of-all-time\/?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=bottomlink&amp;utm_campaign=yahoolink\">click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cI never, never, never saw so many people in my whole life.\u201d This is what Jenny Lewis said after singing \u201cI Never\u201d about halfway through Rilo Kiley\u2019s set Saturday night,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436,435,24,437],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-just-like-heaven-festival","category-live-reviews","category-pushly","category-rilo-kiley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musictechohio.online\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}