You Know The Shape I’m In: MJ Lenderman Leaves It All Out In Philly

Some say MJ Lenderman is the new Neil Young, but I say a younger Stephen Malkmus is more fitting. MJ’s laid-back attitude bleeds into his lyrics, assembling the persona of your parents’ favorite ’90s rocker. His live shows seal the Malkmus-deal as he indulges so hard in his own craft that he doesn’t mind losing his audience–being “lost” at an MJ Lenderman & The Wind show is to be in attendance.

When MJ’s crowd is “lost,” their heads are still in it; however, they’ve ventured into a rock n’ roll realm they didn’t know MJ intercated with. The break from expectations usually happens on the whirlly nine-minute “Bark At The Moon,” whose back half is a screeching soundscape. Here, MJ introduces the jammy Phish-like style that drives his live sets.

Three weeks before the Philly show, I caught night two of MJ’s three-night sold-out run in Brooklyn. 

To a crowd of some Lendermaniacs, but mainly bro-type Brooklyners, MJ made noise without his tongue-bending lyrics. The audience loved it, but you could tell first-time attendees weren’t familiar with Lenderman’s spiraling instrumental-filled sets.

In Philadelphia, the crowd was on board with everything MJ offered. Philly understood the necessity of breaking into a spacey solo that drifts from punk to folk, then punk again–the ‘MJ flare.’

MJ’s appeal also comes from his ability to match obscure references with the most familiar moments. See, “Is it the quiet hiss of a midnight piss or a river turned to creek?” on “On My Knees.” Or “Please don’t laugh, only half of what I said was a joke // Every Catholic knows he could’ve been pope,” on “Joker Lips.” As Paul McCartney says, “It verges from the sublime to the ridiculode!”

The lyrics come off Manning Fireworks, MJ’s 2024 glimpse at indie rock legacy. At age 26, it’s Lenderman’s tightest, most lyrically profound work, and he performed the whole record in Philly. 

The crowd consistently recognized tracks on MF, but when MJ broke into “Wristwatch,” a houseboat full of “Oh yeahs!!” docked on stage. It’s particularly the line about the Himbo Dome that captures the loudest cry.

Another standout from MF is the knee-deep in the blues cut, “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In.” One of the rawest heartbreak songs of recent memory–in Philly, the crowd was too moved to sing along. If you’re unfamiliar with this track, make sure you’re in the right headspace before diving in; it’s a doozy.

While live cuts from MF are outstanding, the most incredible live moments come from his pedal-piercing early work. 

The opener off his 2022 album Boat Songs, “Hangover Game,” starts with a Black Keys-style riff before exploding into a rambunctious, quip-filled story about Michael Jordan. The line, “I bought fake Jordans // They weren’t even shoes,” gets me every time. MJ’s humor is as good as any of his or The Wind’s instrumentation.

The Wind is a collection of Lenderman’s buddies, mostly from his hometown of Asheville, NC, whom MJ could not play without. They’re a ragtag bunch of Lenderman doppelgängers not looking to steal the spotlight. MJ doesn’t need it either, you’re more likely to see his guitar shimmering in the light than his eye-covering curls. 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, MJ will reach into any pocket of his discography, even the songs without lyrics. This is where The Wind shines, because when Lenderman and the band take the stage, they don’t believe in written setlists; all they enter the stage with is a can of beer and their guitar.

What song is being played next often stems from MJ mouthing the first word of the track to drummer, Colin Miller, with the rest of the guys leaning one ear in, then gearing up for whatever MJ’s in the mood for. Maybe Lenderman will tap on his wrist to signal “Wristwatch” or bang on an imaginary door for the Bob Dylan-inspired “Knockin.”

“We saw John Daly sing Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” is the first line on “Knockin,” and a fitting salute to close the set. The line is reminiscent of the Silver Jews’ line, “We saw B.B. King on General Hospital.” MJ is a huge David Berman fan, so maybe this is a direct influence, or proof of Lenderman’s greatness with a pen. 

“Knockin” is the perfect farewell to end the main set before MJ returns for an encore. Walking out with Nate Amos of This Is Lorelei (the show’s opener), the pair softens up by entering Lenderman’s cover of Nate’s song “Dancing In The Club.” The title is deceiving, as this moment hurts as much as “You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In.” With lyrics so memorable, Nate and MJ left audience members with rock n’ roll dreams, questioning if they should ever write again. 

In the past year, MJ Lenderman has become a behemoth in the indie rock scene, and his live shows are the reason why. The loose, loud, genuinely happy to be there attitude he brings to every set is refreshing and enough to turn a casual into a hardcore fan. Manning Fireworks is already one of the decade’s most important albums, and now is the time to become a Lenderman lover before his tickets are too expensive to afford. 

Catch MJ Lenderman & The Wind live later this year in Brooklyn on October 16.