AXIS|OF|LIVE

A lot of people don’t like Lily Allen. A lot of my friends don’t like Lily Allen. But I do, and was more than happy to plunk down the cash to see her in concert on her first proper US tour, despite the fact that the MTV logo was splashed all over it, making it a bit more expensive than I’d have liked. So be it. I was psyched. And I still am psyched! Lily was effing adorable and so much more talented than people would have you believe. Quite a set of lungs on that kid. And when I say kid, I do mean “kid.” Seriously, guys, what am I doing with my life? I want to be young, rap to calypso songs, talk shit about people and be famous, too. Say what you will about Lily and her ranting, bitchy ways, but she’s got the right idea, and the chops to back it up.

The doors were at 6:30 and we thought we’d be super late when we strolled in around 8, but there was just a DJ spinning. At first I thought he was trying too hard, but he turned out to be pretty great. He mixed everything from Klaxons to Michael Jackson to Bel Biv DeVoe. He got a nice round of applause when he left. Then Lily took her sweet time, finally bouncing out around 9, I believe. Her reception was enormous and loving. By the third song, a fan had already given her a t-shirt, the design of which was reminiscent of the “I [heart] NY” tourist items, except it read, “NY [hearts]” and then a photo of Lily. Aww. At first she seemed only half-amused by it, but by the end of the evening, she was holding it up for us to see, all chuffed.

Pam and I had the unfortunate luck of standing behind a very tall couple, one of whom kept bouncing up and down, making him even taller every time he did. Not cool, tall guy. In front of him was the added bonus of a girl who swayed her head to and fro incessantly. Now I see Lily, now I don’t. Now I see her… etc. But it didn’t dampen the experience much (unlike the beer I spilled on myself). I’d worried that Lily would be a bit stiff, after hearing about her first NYC show at the Hiro Ballroom and seeing her on SNL last week, wherein she mostly stood still as a stone. But she completely ate up the crowd’s admiration, hitting every part of the stage repeatedly and chatting amiably, even when it came down to TMI stuff: “I was feeling a bit sorry for myself earlier, so I ordered a shepherd’s pie from Tea & Sympathy and now I keep burping! I haven’t forgotten the words, I just have to expel the air!” Sigh. Even her gas is adorable. How does she do it?!

Lily treated us to every song on her album, except for “Take What You Take,” which she’s been quoted as saying she hates. No surprise, then. “LDN” was an amazing opener, followed by the excellent “Nan, You’re a Window Shopper.” Her best numbers included “Not Big” (”This is a song about men with small dicks!”), “Everything’s Just Wonderful” (which I’ve been waiting to see performed live since I first heard it– I also want to eat spaghetti bolognese and feel awesome about it), and a great song that I didn’t know called “Absolutely Nothing.” She did a few covers as well, explaining that her album only had 11 songs, so the show would be a bit short without any extras. We were treated to her version of Keane’s “Everybody’s Changing,” and during the encore, a rendition of The Specials’ “Blank Expression.” Throughout the entire thing, she paraded around stage in her darling dress, machine gun pendant hanging dangerously from a chain around her neck as she giggled and downed shots of Jagermeister. Pam had speculated earlier at the bar that Lily probably drank rum and cokes; guess she likes her liquor a little harder.

Everyone seemed really jazzed about her performance and genuinely impressed. I know I was. For someone who’s risen to stardom thanks to a networking website, she really handled herself well and delivered the goods. All the while, she seemed excited and thrilled to be singing to a crowd of thousands, doing what she loves to do and being herself. I really don’t think anyone could still hate her after watching her on stage. Or maybe they could. Hearts of stone, I’m telling you. I, for one, had a chavtastic evening. If only I still owned those big hoop earrings I wore in high school, that read “Foxy” across the middle. Then I really would have made her proud.

Here’s a setlist, though the order might be a bit off:

LDN / Nan, You’re a Window Shopper / Knock ‘Em Out / Shame For You / Littlest Things / Cheryl Tweedy / Absolutely Nothing / Everybody’s Changing / Naive / Everything’s Just Wonderful / Friend of Mine / Not Big / Friday Night / Smile // Blank Expression / Alfie

“Alfie” was also top notch, natch.