Silver Jews played their second sold-out NYC area show in as many nights on Sunday, opting to “downsize” from the cavernous coldness of Webster Hall (where they last played while in New York, back in ‘06) in favor of the more inviting Bowery Ballroom.

Back then, David Berman almost appeared at odds with the fact that he was the focus of attention for a capacity crowd that hung on his every word; he would have seemed a more natural fit nursing a scotch at the back of the room. Onstage, a lit music stand holding all of his lyrics doubled as a shield between himself and the adoring audience, and Matt wrote of the experience, “It struck me as funny that many people in the audience probably know his writing better than (apparently) he does.”

Well no more. Last night, you would have never guessed that Berman was the hermetic poet frozen in place and clinging to a music stand as a security blanket. It’s as though he’s not only realized that he is in fact a frontman of a rock band, but also that he’s chosen to wholly embrace that role with every smirk, swagger, and over-enunciated lyrical growl. Witness David Berman, rock star:

Cruising through a catalog of tunes culled generously from most of their albums, the Jews seemed happy, confident, and gracious to have New York’s complete and utter undivided attention. Interestingly, the biggest and perhaps most spontaneous waves of applause throughout the evening were saved for Berman’s wife Cassie, who more than held it down on bass and provided some charmingly heartfelt backing vocals to standouts such as “Suffering Jukebox”, “Tennessee”, and “Party Barge”. But perhaps the most sublime moment of the evening came with the set-closing “Punks In The Beerlight”, which Berman attacked and wrapped his considerable presence around with the furor and intensity the song deserved. The road’s been very good to David Berman so far; our advice is to head to Maxwell’s tonight and see for yourself…

Above slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

See Silver Jews Live:
8 Sep - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwells
9 Sep 9 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10 Sep - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
11 Sep - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
12 Sep - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle Tavern & Music
13 Sep - Greenville, SC @ Horizon Records in Bohemian Cafe
13 Sep - Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
14 Sep - Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
15 Sep - Orlando, FL @ The Social
16 Sep - Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
17 Sep - New Orleans, LA @ One-Eyed Jacks
18 Sep - Houston, TX @ Orange Show
19 Sep - Austin, TX @ Emo’s
20 Sep - Denton, TX @ Hailey’s
22 Sep - Tucson, AZ @ Plush
23 Sep - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
25 Sep - San Francisco, CA @ The Filmore
26 Sep - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
27 Sep - Big Sur, CA @ Fernwood Resort
30 Sep - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
2 Oct - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
3 Oct - Boise, ID @ Neurolux Inc.
4 Oct - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
5 Oct - Denver, CO @ Bluebird
7 Oct - Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
8 Oct - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
9 Oct - Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
10 Oct - Chicago, IL @ Metro
11 Oct - Indianapolis, IN @ Birdys Bar & Grill
12 Oct - Nashville, TN @ Exit/In

Listen: “Strange Victory, Strange Defeat”

Visit Silver Jews on MySpace.