Weller displays immense passion at Seattle gig / Review and Cat Rose photos

Paul Weller in Seattle. (All Cat Rose photos)

By Andy 

When all was said and done, Paul Weller clasped hands with his bandmates in front of the ebullient crowd and then the Modfather gently pounded his fist to heart and widened his smile even further.

It was a magical night and Weller was clearly soaking up every last drop of it at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on Sept. 19.

We last saw him perform 15 years ago on the same stage and Weller took this performance up a notch to run through a career-spanning catalogue of 28 tunes, including a healthy display of new numbers off his "66" album. He's bringing it stronger and more passionate than ever.

The solid seven-piece band kicked things off with "Nova" and nearly two hours later sent us off into the night with "Town Called Malice."

It's an egalitarian scene with Weller, who invited some of the band members to introduce their favorite songs before they all joined together and unleashed tunes like "Wild Wood," "Shout to the Top!" and much more.

Weller switched off between electric and acoustic guitars, piano and even a tambourine that he tossed to the ground before launching into some "Malice" six-string action.

While Weller was dead-on with his vocals and musicianship, he often leaned his head back and faced the band in full appreciation mode of the assemblage's vast talents. 

Amid breaks in the music, Weller briefly interacted with the crowd. As Weller sat at the piano, one fan said that he looked nice, to which he replied, "You look nice, too, madame." Laughter ensued.

After spotting a Weller for President sign, the musician -- who had a Palestinian flag draped on a portion of the stage behind him -- briefly touched upon U.S. and world politics and concluded that ultimately we all need to strive to stick together.

Joining Weller in giving these tunes swing and verve were: Steve Cradock (guitar, backing vocals), Jake Fletcher (bass, backing vocals), Tom Van Heel (keyboards, backing vocals), Jacko Peake (saxophones, flute, melodica), Steve Pilgrim (drums, guitar) and Ben Gordelier (percussion, drums).

Here's our Cat Rose's stunning photos from the evening, which included a dazzling opening acoustic set by Donegal, Ireland's George Houston.

P.S. Thanks to Nicky Weller for help in securing Cat's photo pass.

GEORGE HOUSTON