Wesley Stace and Eric Bazilian – Tin Angel – Philadelphia, PA – February 1, 2017 (A PopEntertainment

Updated: Jun 29, 2022

Wesley Stace and Eric Bazilian – Tin Angel – Philadelphia, PA – February 1, 2017

On February 1, I took my last trip to the Old City venue Tin Angel before it closed for good of February 4. A place steeped in memories for so much of Philadelphia for 24 years and for me as well (one my first dates with my wife was to see Andre Lipke there in 2009), to see two titans of songwriting, Wesley Stace and Eric Bazilian, hash out a fun, rare setlist was a great final memory for me of the venue.

Politics, rock and folk as well as a heaping portion of banter drove the set of songs that shifted back and forth between Stace and Bazilian. Opening with Stace’s Trump ode to Dylan (“Mr. Tangerine Man”) and shifting into the heady rock of Bazilian’s band The Hooters’ “All You Zombies,” the night was full of thrilling contrasts.

Stace played the rarely dusted off “July 13th 1985 (The Live Aid Song),” which stirred up memories of Bazilian’s of The Hooters playing the event. Bazilian tested out new songs, working out chords and lyrics with long pauses of silence in a way rarely seen live. It was exhilarating. And he also pulled out a number of tunes from his solo work The Optimist. Fans of either performer had to happy, as seen with their allegiance to both with warm applause.

A room that was always narrow and gave into the outside weather more than inside climate control, the Tin Angel was a setting for music that will be missed. With the fitting finale of “(What If God Was) One of Us” among the angels of the space and the demons of the outside world, the crowd sang along in unison to great music with fine musicians.

Chris Sikich