The chance to see someone like Stephen Malkmus doesn't come around that often, so we took the opportunity to catch SM + Jicks at the Pabst Theater. As opener John Vanderice asked the crowd to pause and “take a look at the ceiling”, it reminded me that this theater is truly one of the best places to catch your favorite bands. You can’t beat the acoustics and architecture of this venue. And this just built up the anticipation of catching one of my favorite artists.

Former mk Ultra frontman, John Vanderslice, opened the show with his unique indie pop three piece band. Some of Vanderslice’s tunes brought to mind the band Spoon, only with less edge and punk swagger. In fact, he was a contributing producer on Spoon’s, Gimme Fiction.

Malkmus and the Jicks strolled on to the stage, plugged in and opened with a razor sharp "Dragonfly Pie" and continued to blast out more tracks from his latest (and highly recommended) album, Real Emotional Trash. The Jicks also dipped into some older tracks from their album Pig Lib, letting loose on a great version of “(Do Not Feed the) Oyster”. The stand out song, "Baltimore" showcased drummer Janet Weiss (Sleater Kinney/Quasi) and made one realize that she adds so much to this band. Stephen’s guitar work was on fire and was it was truly amazing to hear that old, familiar tone which hasn’t really changed since the Pavement days: Orange amplifier head (renamed by SM to “Banger”) coupled with the 4X12 Marshall cabinet. For the guitar enthusiasts out there, Stephen was sporting a Fender Jazzmaster and not the usual Les Paul Goldtop.

Madison Music Review is looking forward to seeing SM + Jicks again in the future. As expected this Pick was a top notch show at a perfect venue. Don’t miss them next time around.