We got good hair! The last two times I saw LANY in Auckland, Paul Klein succumbed to his ‘fugly era’ – his words, not mine! – nervousness and shaved his head. This time, PJK arrived in Auckland and on stage with all his hair and he was definitely not fugly. He also seemed to be well-healed after his accident in June.
I was lucky enough to get VIP tickets and the VIP experience was top-notch. VIPs were kept to a minimum so the experience felt special. Auckland Town Hall staff were exceptional and kept everything about the show running on time. My spot just behind the girl at the barrier kept me close to the stage and deeply into the vibe of the show.
Paul Klein must be one of the most accommodating artists in pop music today. Klein, and LANY, the band he fronts with Jake Goss, sold out last night’s show at Auckland’s Town Hall, so restricted-view tickets for seats in the balcony went on sale right before the show. Most frontmen would have been content to let the last-minute ticket-buyers deal with their restricted views, but not Klein, who climbed the stairs from the stage and sang from the length of the balcony to make sure that everyone in the audience got the full LANY experience.
LANY aren’t the biggest name in music, perhaps, but they have a seriously loyal following. A 23-song set kept the LA vibe going with songs from throughout much of their career. Auckland Town Hall is a great venue for LANY – big enough to accommodate throngs of fans but small enough to keep it tight and intimate. It’s a gorgeous venue, too. Fans filled the beautiful balcony areas and the GA area was heaving. It was obvious that every fan knew every word to every song.
And the band were up to the challenge of keeping their fans entertained. The vibe was definitely more LA than NY, more relaxed than intense. The Town Hall was the right venue for this show—Spark Arena, and certainly a stadium like Mount Smart, would have been far too big, but the Town Hall felt intimate enough that Paul could connect with his audience. He took and wore anything he was offered, from a hat to a pair of glasses to a bouncer’s hi-vis jacket, and the audience, of course, loved every second. Beach balls bounced around the audience—it’s not entirely clear where they came from—and the band joined in the fun when they hit the stage. This was as good-natured and, simply, as fun a show as I’ve been to in a very long time.
And the show built and built. Banger after banger, Malibu Nights, ex i never had, dancing in the kitchen, all fired up an audience who sang every word to the climactic XXL, with a singalong from the audience that showed just how much they had enjoyed this quite fantastic show. A band that has built a following based on irresistibly catchy pop, performed tight and sharp and with a great sense of fun—live music doesn’t get much better than this.
