November 20, 2016

Concert #786 - Mary Fahl at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 18, 2016)


This was my second time to see Mary Fahl in concert and just as I expected, Friday night's concert was pretty much in line with the show that knocked me out last year, also at McCabe's - the song selection, the banter and her stage presence were, more or less, a replay of last year's show, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Once again, I was thoroughly impressed by Mary's voice, an instrument that can be both powerful and gentle, depending on what she sings. Her set list included self-penned songs, some from her October Project years, others more recent, from her solo career, and there were a few covers as well, such as Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" and Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage". Heck, we were even treated to one of the opera world's best known arias, Puccini's "Nessun Dorma", delivered by Mary in decent-sounding Italian.

Mary Fahl at McCabe's
Mary Fahl's set list
To these ears, the highlight of the show was "Both Sides Now" and her own "Gravity", a song inspired by her husband, American oceanographer Richard Lutz. By the way, Mary mentioned his name quite often during the show.

Overall, I had a great time and I know that I will see her again, preferably at McCabe's.

Mary Fahl at McCabe's
Mary Fahl at McCabe's
The merch table
The stage
The venue