Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule [ tickets ] was the opening act for Paul Weller [ tickets ]'s three-night stand at House of Blues near Los Angeles over the weekend (7/20-22). From her unique--and surely objective--perspective, she agreed to review Sunday's show for LiveDaily.

I would say about 70% of the crowd were expatriates from the British Isles. At first, I thought I had walked into a Manchester United game, and I did spot more than a few "mod" Vespas in the parking lot. Anyway, this just proves to show how ignored Paul Weller is in the States.

I did have a Jam record once, and liked a couple of Style Council songs, but would have never known his solo work if I hadn't been asked to open up for him on his 1994 U.S. tour. Now I am a fan. Plus, it helps that he and his dad (his manager) are very nice to me. I say you can always tell a person by how they treat opening acts and waitresses--I have been both (don't get me started on Duncan Sheik).

As opposed to his last tour, tonight he was acoustic, bandless and surrounded by vintage Fenders and Gibsons. For me, you can truly see the talent of an artist when they are without their band, and Paul does have one of the best. The first thing that struck me was his guitar playing. He could go from a "smoove" jazzy minor-ninth thing into a loud, sounds-like-a-whole-band-behind-him, abandoned punk groove. He probably would hate this, but I think he has the best blue-eyed soul voice around. It was soaring, and since he was playing solo, I actually heard every word he sang. (I sometimes have problems with that English accent. I even had trouble understanding Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins.")

His set consisted of older Jam and Style Council material and new songs from his unreleased-in-the-U.S. (which I don't get why) CD. The crowd seemed to know every song. There was a lot of hearty male (with pint in hand) sing-along. Again, I felt like I was at a soccer match--but a friendly, happy one.

After the show, I almost got beaten up by some drunk girl who asked me if I could get Paul to sign her ticket. When I told her sweetly that I was sorry and unable to, she called me a lying c#%t.

Did I tell you how good the opening act was?

Jill Sobule performs a free show at Frank Sinatra Park in Hoboken, N.J., on Thursday (7/26), and she appears at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival in Michigan's Manistee National Forest on Aug. 8.

Weller performs at Town Hall in New York City on Wednesday (7/25) at Boston's Berklee Performance Art Center on Thursday (7/26).