Concert #611 - John Wesley Harding at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 6, 2011)

This was my seventh time to see John Wesley Harding in concert, starting with my first concert ever at McCabe's, in June 1990. At that time, he was one of my favorite singer-songwriters, thanks to his incredibly good first two albums. Since then, my interest in Wes' music has been an up and down affair, mostly down, but definitely up again in recent years.

The concert announcement showed two bands, the Minus 5 and a certain King Charles Trio, which in the end turned out to be the very same group of outstanding musicians, namely:

Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows and part-time REM member)

Peter Buck (of REM fame) 

Jenny Conlee-Drizos (The Decemberists)

Chris Funk (The Decemberists)

John Moen (The Decemberists)

Nate Query (The Decemberists)

I laughed out loud when Wes announced the King Charles Trio, only to see six musicians take the stage. I was extremely impressed with the four Decemberists, who are a band in the true sense of the word: all solid players, without being flashy, no showboating solos, just great teamwork from start to finish. I'd love to see them again, preferably at McCabe's

The concert kicked off with the Minus 5 (everyone minus Wes). They played three songs that grabbed me from the get go. Vocalist and guitarist Scott McCaughey and drummer John Moen were in a cheerful mood and so was the rest of the band. Then Wes joined the band, which only added to the humorous tone of the evening. From that point on, the main emphasis was on Wes' just-released new album, "The Sound Of His Own Voice", a highly listenable piece of work. The numbers I liked the best were "There's A Starbucks Where The Starbucks Used To Be" and "Sing Your Own Song".

Wes did not sing a single number from his first two albums, but he did do "If You Have Ghosts", the Roky Erickson song that he recorded in the early 1990s. I did miss "Cathy's New Clown" and "The Devil In Me", but the songs from the new album sounded just as great - in his third decade of releasing music, Wes remains one heck of a songwriter and with a voice that's as strong as ever, he's doing fine in the vocal department as well.

Scott McCaughey made a strong impression on me and I really liked his "Aw Shit Man" song. Now that I know who Scott is, I will start digging up his earlier work.

Scott McCaughey

Playing his guitar and mandolin, Peter Buck kept a low profile throughout the evening. He never soloed and there was no way of telling that he had been part of a band once considered to be America's best.

Peter Buck

In spite of everyone's advice, I once again sat in the front row, where they say you never get the best sound, certainly not when you sit directly in front of a fat drum set. Yet I was amazed by the quality of the sound and the perfect balance between voices and instruments.

The set list

The stage before the show

John Wesley Harding selling and signing merchandise after the show

Concerts #445, 524 - John Wesley Harding at McCabe's Guitar Shop (July 22, 2007 - October 18, 2009)

John Wesley Harding has a special place in my heart, well beyond my appreciation for his music: he is the first artist I've ever seen at McCabe's, the best concert venue in the Universe. Back in 1990, my interest in Wes' music was at its peak, so I did not think much about driving 102 miles, round trip, to catch him live in concert. His show was terrific, so I went back a few more times to see him again. But then, in 1996, I felt that his newer albums just weren't as good as his earlier ones, so I began drifting away from his music and eventually stopped following him altogether.

Sooner or later, it had to happen ... I reconnected with Wes in July 2007, after an eleven-year long hiatus, and I'm very glad I did.  He came out with his reconstituted old band, the Radical Gentlemen:

Robert Lloyd - piano, mandolin

Chris von Sneidern - bass

Kevin Jarvis - drums 

Kirk Swan - guitar

Wes looked more mature - surprise, surprise - but sounded just like his old self and exuded the same self-confidence he had always had. There were many new songs, but they all sounded good to me, especially the self-deprecating "Top Of The Bottom". He also sang a couple of songs from "Here Comes The Groom", which to this day I believe is his best album.

Long-time friend and musical partner Chris von Sneidern opened for Wes in October 2009. His set was surprisingly good, with quite a few catchy songs.

Chris von Sneidern

My friend Steve A, who had not seen Wes before, took my advice and showed up as well. We sat together in the front row, from where we enjoyed a very good performance. Wes received support from half of the Radical Gentlemen, namely Chris von Sneidern and Robert Lloyd.

John Wesley Harding taking the final bow at McCabe's (October 2009)

John Wesley Harding signing autographs at McCabe's (October 2009)

Concert poster (2009)

Concerts #65,109,166 - John Wesley Harding at McCabe's Guitar Shop (Sept 22, 1990 - March 29, 1996)

In September 1990, only three months after I first saw him at McCabe's, John Wesley Harding came back for yet another show at the very same venue and, needless to say, I was there. I also caught his January 30, 1993 show, also at McCabe's. Both times, Wes put on great shows, full of humor, spontaneity, powerful guitar playing and excellent songs. 

Partial list of the songs he played in 1990-1993 at McCabe's, as I recall them:

"You're No Good"

"Here Comes The Groom"

"July 13, 1985"

"Save A Little Room For Me"

"Kiss / Lover's Society"

"Bastard Son"

"Like A Prayer"

"Things Snowball"

"Cathy's New Clown"

"Spaced Cowgirl"

"Things Snowball"

"Scared Of Guns"

"When The Beatles Hit America"

"Kill The Messenger"

"Hitler's Tears"

"The Original Miss Jesus"

Wes' frequent musical guests always added an element of surprise to his shows. The Paley Brothers and Elizabeth Barraclough joined him in September 1990. Elizabeth's performance was particularly impressive: with her powerful voice she sang her own "Covered Up In Aces", assisted by Wes, of course. Steve Wynn was Wes' guest in 1993. 

After having attended three John Wesley Harding concerts in less than three years, I decided to skip his next gig at McCabe's. Terrible decision, it turned out: as my luck would have it, I managed to miss Bruce Springsteen's appearance as John Wesley Harding's guest, on June 18, 1994. Bummer ...

The show I missed: John Wesley Harding with Bruce Springsteen at McCabe's (June 18, 1994)

I saw JWH again on March 29, 1996, also at McCabe's. Well, Bruce was not in the building, but Peter Case played a couple of songs with Wes. At that time, my interest in Wes' music was in decline, so it took me eleven years before I reconnected with him again in 2007. Where? At McCabe's, where else?

Concert #62 - John Wesley Harding at McCabe's Guitar Shop (June 7, 1990)

At the time of this writing, I have seen 264 shows at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. But on June 7, 1990, my McCabe's concert count stood at zero. I had seen their ads in the Calendar section of the LA Times, but until John Wesley Harding's gig there, I had not visited the place.

UPDATE (June 7, 2020): My current McCabe's concert count is 528.

I was first introduced to John Wesley Harding's music in early 1990, while checking things out at Rhino Records in Claremont. My ears caught a song that had all the right ingredients and the store clerk gave me all the details I needed - the song was "Here Comes The Groom", performed by a certain John Wesley Harding, a British singer-songwriter. Needless to say, I bought the album, then a few months later, I drove out to Santa Monica to see him live, in concert.

I got there early, just before 6 PM. I walked in and found myself in a store. With a puzzled look on my face, I asked "Where's the concert gonna be"? They told me "In the backroom, you may check it out now". So I entered the backroom and I froze: John Wesley Harding was just starting his sound check. I stood there listening to "Cathy's New Clown" and bits and pieces of other songs. I said to myself "I like this place".

For the show proper, I sat in the second row, only the second time in my concert-going career that I could sit so close to a favorite performer. JWH played all my favorite songs from "Here Comes The Groom", except for "The Devil In Me". He was humorous, intelligent, played the guitar with ferocity at times and delivered one great song after another.

Even though he was a relative newcomer to the LA singer-songwriter scene, John Wesley Harding had two unannounced guests: Dave Alvin and John Easdale, of Dramarama fame. The latter duetted with JWH on "Last Cigarette", Dramarama's 1989 hit. Years later, Dave Alvin would become one of my all-time favorite musicians.

I was in total awe of John Wasley Harding's performance and it all happened right there in front of my eyes. When the show was over, the guy sitting next to me turned to me and said "As good as it gets". I answered "My thoughts, precisely".