Slowly Going Bald

I didn't even know about Aimee Mann's 2nd Annual Christmas Show until a couple weeks ago. I like Mann plenty, having first been exposed to her (as might be the case for some) on the Magnolia soundtrack. I didn't know quite what to expect from her Christmas show at the El Rey, but I wasn't prepared for such a fun show. That's what the concert was more than anything: A chance for Mann and her fellow musicians and performers to have fun doing a few seasonal numbers. The concert played largely like a variety show, with several special guests (more than are mentioned here) popping in for a number or two before disappearing offstage again. Mann and Paul F. Tompkins, a comedian who's way too smart for his talking-head role on "Best Week Ever," served as co-emcees for the evening, and Tompkins even performed a brief set at one point. They even traded banter and performed duets. The whole thing was so damn charming, you know? The evening opened with the lights slowly revealing the Christmas trees, nutcrackers, and simple lights adorning the stage, while Mann performed "Jacob Marley's Chain":

Not long after, Mann stepped to the mic and introduced Jackson Browne, at which point the crowd erupted in that kind of incredulous applause where they can't quite believe what's happening. And sure enough, Browne sauntered onstage looking as timeless as ever, his lanky hair swaying back and forth like it has been since "The Pretender." Browne then made his way to the keyboard and performed "The Rebel Jesus" and a cover of Steve Earle's "Jerusalem." The video is godwaful for the first half, but bear with it, or just close your eyes:

But Mann and Tompkins kept the energy up and the mood light with some of their interactions, especially "Baby, It's Cold Outside":

Probably the most vocally impressive guest was Amos Lee, who came out to sturdy applause, quietly took his place at the mic, and proceeded to blow the doors off with a cover of John Prine's "Christmas in Prison":

Grant-Lee Phillips was also there working his 12-string, and in addition to a great version of The Pretenders' "2000 Miles," he also teamed with Mann for a fantastic version of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," which made me smile like a kid the whole time:

Mann also dipped into her non-seasonal catalog with "Save Me." This video can't come close to how great it was to stand there and hear her sing this in a venue as intimate as the El Rey. When it was done, in that moment of silence when the cheers die down and the artist is getting ready for their next number, a guy behind me shouted, "You should've won the Oscar!" The applause erupted again, and Mann smiled before making a joke about how Phil Collins was probably very deserving. (The fact that Collins won an Oscar for a song from Disney's Tarzan while Mann's work in P.T. Anderson's pretty damn amazing Magnolia went unrecognized is just another indictment of the Academy.) Anyway, this is "Save Me":

The show ended with everyone onstage for an encore of one song, "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," first recorded by Darlene Love on 1963's A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector and recorded by a hundred others since. The horn section came back out, all the evening's musicians returned to the stage, and everyone blasted away at a Christmas classic with gleeful unselfconsciousness. The show was rousing; there's no other way to put it. It was fun and funny and uplifting in the way the best concerts always are. A month ago, I didn't even know Mann did a Christmas show, and now I'm already looking forward to next year: