Gomez, Avalon, 03/06/07

I caught Gomez last night (yes, again!) at Avalon.
It was a double bill with Ben Kweller. I had not heard of him before last night. We got there in time to hear him play 4 or 5 songs. A couple featured him solo, the others were with his band - a total power trio. While I can see why people like him, I need to investigate him a bit more before I can make a definitive decision on whether or not I like him.
He reminded me of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and at times (at least vocally) of Jerry Garcia.
Jury is still out.

Gomez was good, not great. They are still the masters of the "composed" jam, and they do rock.
There was a definite shift in their song selection, weighing heavily on material from their latest studio release, How We Operate. They recently released a "B" sides double disc, which I thought did not contain new material, but I was wrong. It has some new stuff on there, and last night I heard 2 new songs I did not recognize. We got a "First time played live" song, so that was good.
I liked the show, and thought they played well, but at times, the music sounded thin, like I could punch a hole right through it.

Here is the setlist:

Rex Kramer
Nothing Is Wrong
Silence
See the Wrold
Cry on Demand - First time played live
?New Ben song - She Falls Between maybe???
Notice
girlshapedlovedrug
?New Ian Song
How We Operate
Charlie Patten Songs
Here Comes the Breeze
Hamoa Beach
Devil Will Ride
Encore:
Chasing Ghosts with Alcohol
Fill My Cup
Whipping Picadilly