Well I have gone and done it again; attending more than 50 shows this year. Thirty-four of those shows took place at the Charleston Music Hall, my home away from home. This isn’t a list of the best performances in America this year, but the best I got to see. Most of these shows were spent as a volunteer, helping to run a smooth ship for all to enjoy. I have been privy to an amazing display of artists again this past year. There have been times that I have left a show thankful for the opportunity to see an artist who I didn’t have to pay for and may have never been motivated to see. I want to share my impression of artists who would be worth seeing when they come to your town.
There’s nothing that I would rather be doing than being in the audience of a live concert. Whether it’s supporting local artists or experiencing a superstar, the experience is one I look forward to at every opportunity! Charleston, South Carolina is not a big city and many artists choose to play Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte or Jacksonville instead. However, I did get to travel to Atlanta, Raleigh, Scranton, Pennsylvania and Holmdel, New Jersey to see shows I wanted to be part of!
One of the highlights of the year was getting to see Van Morrison (Bucket List!) in concert as part of Willie Nelson’s, “Outlaw Music Festival,” in Scranton this past September. I have heard tales of poor performances, disdain for the audience and a loss of the magic that made him one of the greatest performers of all time. I’m here to report that on that night, and during his short run of shows in the Northeast, Van was the Man! I not only got to witness a great performance, I was able to strike one from my Bucket list.
There were lots of first timers for me this past year. Amongst the artists were Travis Tritt, They Might Be Giants, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, The Dixie Dregs, Manny Houston, Rhiannon Giddons, Brian Culbertson, Sturgill Simpson (twice), Margot Price, Big Something, Perpetual Groove, Brian Setzer, Brian Owens plays Marvin Gaye, Boy George & Culture Club, the B-52’s, Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins, Chase Bryant, Rodney Carrington, Lucas Nelson & POTR, Greensky Bluegrass, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Collective Soul, Adam Devine(comedian), Haley Mae Campbell and Dwight Yoakum.
Among the myriad of shows, I experienced four of these artists two or more times this year. Leading the way was local Americana band, Forty Mile Detour, with four shows. This group performs their own music and some select covers. They are an excellent group of artists, with day jobs! I also saw Travis Tritt perform a solo acoustic twice to sell-out crowds at the Music Hall. He’s an entertaining musician on his own. The only criticism I heard was he could do less storytelling and more singing. In June, we took a road trip to Atlanta and Raleigh for back-to-back nights of the Dead and Company. As a lifelong Deadhead, I will keep going as long as they want to keep performing. Lastly, was two nights of the Tedeschi-Trucks Band as part of Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival. I was fortunate to see them and Van Morrison in Scranton, Pennsylvania on a Friday night and then two nights later in Holmdel, New Jersey.
There were an amazing number of performances from artists whom I’ve seen before in another time and place. In calendar order, I was fortunate enough to see Yonder Mountain String Band, Del McCoury Band, Black Jacket Symphony, Arlo Guthrie and Children, Eric Johnson, Graham Nash, David Bromberg, Dweezil Zappa, Dark Star Orchestra, Widespread Panic, David Crosby, Umphrey’s McGee, Lake Street Dive, Holly Bowling, Johnny Lang, Blues Traveler, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Drivin’ & Cryin’, .moe, Reckoning, and Jump Little Children.
What stood out for me was the fact that there were no stinkers among the shows I saw this past year. This was something that I couldn’t have said the last few years. Here, in calendar order are my bakers dozen of the best shows I saw this year and some comments on each:
** Yonder Mountain String Band, Music Farm- In their annual visit to Charleston, this quintet blended their vast resume of originals with seven excellent covers from a varied group of artists.
**Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Music Hall – I have seen Bela three times before, always with a different lineup. The Flecktones, brothers Victor and Future Man Wooten, combine with Bela to create spellbinding jazz music from the unlikeliest of sources, the banjo.
**An evening with Graham Nash, Music Hall – Comfort food for the 70’s soul. His stories and songs harken back to a simpler time.
**Dixie Dregs 40th Anniversary, Music Hall- The original lineup performed for more than two hours without a sung word and no one noticed!
** “Choice cuts from Dweezil Zappa”, Music Hall- Along with a stellar support band, they cranked more Frank for three solid hours to the delight of all in attendance.
** Rhiannon Giddons (Carolina Chocolate Drops), Music Hall- She has the voice of an angel and the mastery of the fiddle that you need to experience for yourself.
**Trondossa Music Festival, Riverfront Park in North Charleston- Curated by Widespread Panic and featuring Sturgill Simpson, Margot Price and Big Something. Everyone got sixty to ninety minutes to stretch out and show us the breath of their talents. Panic got two full sets nightly.
**Dead and Company, Atlanta and Raleigh- A weekend of great music and memories… John Mayer brings new energy to the Dead’s music and has the three original members playing inspired performances.
**Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers/the Wood Brothers, Gaillard Auditorium in Charleston – These talented musicians combined on a twin bill to create music that inspires. Their talents as musicians are on a higher level than most artists touring today.
** Lake Street Dive, Music Hall- Rachel Price’s voice is truly one of todays most dynamic and commanding. She and bandmates from Boston blend rock and blues into tunes you want to hear again.
** Van Morrison, Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Montagne Mountain, Scranton, Pennsylvania- Both bands delivered 90 minute sets that had me smiling all night.
** Squirrel Nut Zippers, Music Hall- They made their mark in the 90’s blending jazz and swing with catchy lyrics to create a sound that survives well more than 25 years later
**.moe , Music Hall- Stalwarts of the jam scene for nearly 30 years, they are in fine shape after founding bassist Rob Dedham was diagnosed with cancer in 2017.
It’s a shame to have to have to limit the most memorable shows because there were others that left me with great memories! Del Mc Coury Band epitomizes traditional Bluegrass music; Arlo, Sarah Lee and Adam Guthrie are to be treasured while guitar wiz Eric Johnson is mesmerizing on the guitar. I saw David Bromberg for the first time in 40 years and jammed out to Umphrey’s McGee despite a near rain out. Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats is keeping Rockabilly alive for generations to enjoy. I went to see the triple bill of Boy George & CC, the B-52’s and Thompson Twin Tom Bailey because I wanted to see the “B”’s and left very impressed by George! If you love the piano, stream Holly Bowling on your favorite app. She is an incredible talent who is getting better all the time. October was a banner month including stellar performances by Johnny Lang, Blues Traveler, Chris Robinson Brotherhood and Collective Soul. Dwight Yoakum was a performer I longed to see and he was worth the wait.
So many artists, so little time. There’s a ton of touring musicians chasing your concert ticket money. It’s impossible to see every established artist due to today’s ticket prices. If you do your homework, there’s many up and coming artists and local musicians available for a fair price. Support local music and take a gamble on a new artist! Everyone had to start somewhere and build an audience.
Do You Believe In Magic would like to hear about your memorable shows and have you share them with our community of readers. Write your comments on this blog and I will share them with your fellow Lovers of Live Music. Here’s to hearing more great music in 2019!! Subscribe to this blog and you will get an email when a new blog is posted. We will not bombard your inbox and don’t sell our information. We just share news of good music!
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Several years ago, I developed a Live Music bucket list of musicians I still had not seen (“A Bucket List You Can fulfill”- July 30, 2016). While I have chipped away at the list, three artists remained from my original wish list. Van Morrison was right up there. When I heard of his involvement in Willie Nelson’s, ‘Outlaw Music Festival,’ I saw this as my best chance to get to hear Van. But once I shared the news with others, I heard numerous tales about the modern day Van Morrison. There were stories about his moodiness with audiences, sketchy performances and a voice that’s seen better days. Perhaps you have heard similar stories about his recent performances. I am here to say that rumors of his demise are premature!
Do You Believe in Magic 