Jeff Mangum at LPR

Kickstarter, who handled the fundraising for last week's Chris Knox Benefit at LPR, posted a review of Jeff Mangum's solo set- his first since 2001:

Thursday Mangum took the stage to play a Kickstarter-funded benefit for Chris Knox, himself a cult legend in his native New Zealand. Mangum played just five songs (more than the crowd had hoped for) that were among the best I’ve ever seen. I was not alone. From the NY Times to the Washington Post to assorted blogs, the reviews were rightly rapturous.

They go on to tell the sweet story of a couple from Boston who missed Mangum's set:

Marina and Andrew had driven down from Boston for the show, but — thanks to work, traffic, scheduling, etc — they had missed Mangum’s performance. Having heard this, Ben immediately found them and brought them backstage to meet Jeff Mangum. He was incredibly gracious. Marina, Andrew, and Jeff talked for a good 15 minutes, asking questions, awkwardly bantering, Marina glancing around the room with a “can you believe this???” look.

The excuses for conversation having reached their limit, Marina and Andrew asked if they could get an autograph or something, their faces acknowledging the unlikeliness of the request. But Jeff said sure, and suddenly he was sitting down with a ripped up piece of cardboard, sketching aliens — “I’ve drawn these all my life,” he said — for them with a Sharpie. We all stood around looking but not looking, suddenly this bad timing turning into a seriously lucky break.

Awesome.

The rest of the night was stellar as well. Highlights included Portastatic's Mac Macaughan (backed by Yo La Tengo for the night) covering Chris Knox's "Vol Au Vent," and the last act of the evening, The Clean, who Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo introduced as "the greatest band in the world." Thanks again to the performers, the event organizers, and all who attended for making this such a wonderful night.