Concert #822 - Dave Alvin, Syd Straw & Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (March 24, 2018)

This was the second in a series of special shows celebrating the 60th anniversary of McCabe's, with a portion of the proceeds going to Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation. Featuring three of my favorite singer-songwriters - Dave Alvin, Syd Straw and Peter Case - the show did not disappoint.

Seated side-by-side, Dave, Syd and Peter delivered a round-robin set that included lots of storytelling  and yes, also an occasional song, here and there. Normally I would complain about shows where the spoken word outweighs the music, but last night the spoken word turned out to be hilariously funny, the music was great, as expected, so I went home totally happy.

The proceedings were kicked-off by Peter Case with an outstanding rendition of his "Try Me One More Time", followed in order by Syd, Dave, then Peter again and so on. Needless to say, this was an extremely casual affair, with no scripted lines and no set lists - at times it felt like I was in a living room and having a good time with a bunch of musician friends.

To these ears, the evening's best moments were Syd Straw's epic delivery of "Love And The Lack Of It", Dave's low-key "Downey Girl" and Peter's "Somebody Told The Truth". Another highlight was George Jones' "What Am I Worth", performed with intensity by Dave and Syd at the end of their set. And speaking of covers: their extended encore included a thoroughly funny interpretation of Chip Taylor's "Wild Thing" and also a sing-along, Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land". For the latter, our main protagonists were joined on stage by the exuberant Cindy Wasserman and Frank Drennen, collectively known as the Dead Rock West, and also by Cindy Lee Berryhill.

I can't wait for the third special anniversary show!

Dave Alvin, Syd Straw & Peter Case at McCabe's

Dave Alvin & Syd Straw at McCabe's

Peter Case at McCabe's

Syd Straw at McCabe's

Dave Alvin at McCabe's

The Grand Finale: This Land Is Your Land

Dave Alvin & Dead Rock West at McCabe's

The stage

Sign in the window at McCabe's

Concert #615 - Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (December 3, 2011)

Great show last Saturday at McCabe's. Almost three years after his unexpected open heart surgery in January 2009, Peter Case appeared to be in great shape in all respects - showing no signs of slowing down, he played two sets of decent length, gave an encore and spent time with his fans not only before and after the show, but also during the intermission.
 
Peter's stage decoration was the most elaborate I've ever seen at McCabe's, and I've seen close to three hundred concerts there. In addition to the routine stuff - guitars, piano, amps, wiring and the like - there were flowers, candles, a coat hanger, hats, a miniature Christmas tree, books, more flowers, a hand painting and a vintage American flag with forty-eight stars.

Stage - Front view

Stage - Side view

The show was recorded for a long-overdue "Peter Case Live At McCabe's" album, yet I did not get the impression that there was a predetermined set list. Peter talked a lot between songs and I don't mean it as a negative - everything he said was captivating, informative and quite often funny. In terms of the song selection, the main focus was on his own songs, both old and new, but there were plenty of covers, mostly classic blues numbers from the masters of the genre (Sleepy John Estes, Sony Boy Williamson, Jimmy Smith, Leadbelly and others).

Peter switched frequently between his electric and acoustic guitars and played a few numbers at the piano as well. There was an "anything and everything goes" feeling on the stage, which is exactly the opposite of what one would think a recording session is like.

Peter Case - Electric

Peter Case - Acoustic

For me, the highlights of the show were "Beyond The Blues", "Words In Red" and "Ain't Gonna Worry No More". "Put Down The Gun" was good as well.

There was a three-song encore that included "Which Side Are You On", the old labor anthem, and his own "Hidden Love". He performed the entire encore from the floor, standing right in front of the stage. For the labor song he was joined by folkies Cindy Lee Berryhill and Phranc, but their contributions were minimal.

All in all, this was the best Peter Case concert I have ever seen.

The final bow

Some of the stuff brought along by Peter

Peter Case chatting with fans after the show

Peter Case with fellow musician Matt Cartsonis

Concert #481 - McCabe's 50th Anniversary Concert at UCLA's Royce Hall (October 2, 2008)

I caught wind about this concert many months before it actually took place and from the very beginning, all I wanted was to lay my hands on a pair of great tickets, even if I had to pay a little extra to get them  - after all, this was supposed to be the Concert Of The Year. Well, in the end, "the little extra" turned out to be $550 for a pair of third row seats, bought from a scalper operating legally as a "ticket agency". Bastards!

I had never paid as much for two tickets and I hope I never will, but in this case, I just had to do it, as my other attempts to get good seats via UCLA Live and directly from McCabe's yielded sub-par results. And there was yet another reason for my insane spending: I went to the concert with a European guest, a huge music connoisseur himself, and I just had to offer him the best possible experience and indeed, I also wanted the very best for myself.

And what an experience it was ... for about four hours we watched a parade of many different musicians who had one thing in common: sometime during their careers, they had all performed at McCabe's. With one notable exception, that is. I'm not talking about Los Lobos, as they had actually played there decades earlier, before anyone knew who they were, opening for Flaco Jimenez. The exception was Chrissie Hynde, who somehow managed to talk herself into the line-up, and I'm glad she did. Accompanied by virtuoso guitarist James Walbourne, Chrissie-the-Intruder performed two songs from her then-new album "Break Up The Concrete" and she was definitely one of the highlights of the evening.

And speaking of highlights: Odetta's powerful rendition of "House Of The Rising Sun" did not seem to be coming from a seventy-eight year old wheelchair-bound woman who was only two months away from the end of her life, then later, during the evening's grand finale, she once again impressed us with her strong vocals on "This Land Is Your Land".

Odetta, with Lincoln Myerson, Jackson Browne and Jennifer Warnes (photo by Sherry Rayn Barnett)

For an outstanding photo gallery showing most of the evening's protagonists, please visit Sherry Rayn Barnett's page at http://www.myspace.com/sherrybarnettphotography/photos

LIST OF PERFORMERS

Richard Thompson

Jennifer Warnes

Odetta

Los Lobos

Blind Boys Of Alabama

Loudon Wainwright

Peter Rowan

David Lindley

Peter Case

Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney

Ditty Bops

Dan Hicks

Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band

Ricky Jay

Chrissie Hynde

Jackson Browne

Rosanne Lindley

Van Dyke Parks

Kami Thompson

Michael Jerome (drums)

Debra Dobkin (percussion)

David Keyes (keyboards, with Odetta)

Taras Prodaniuk (bass)

James Walbourne (guitar, with Chrissie Hynde)

Eric Andersen (grand finale only)

Richard Thompson led the house band that also included drummer Michael Jerome, bassist Taras Prodaniuk, and percussionist Debra Dobkin. Throughout the evening, Richard kept a relatively low profile, but at one point he did step up to deliver a great version of "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". I  would have liked to hear more from RT, but it wasn't to be.

LIST OF MC's

Nancy Covey

Lincoln Myerson

John Chelew 

Bobby Kimmel

Most of the MC'ing was handled by Nancy Covey and she did a good job. Surprisingly, the current Concert Director at McCabe's, Lincoln Myerson, was given only a secondary role.

McCabe's is a rather modest venue and, appropriately, there were no fancy stage decorations at UCLA's Royce Hall, only a few guitars and folding chairs hanging on the back wall of the stage, all of them borrowed from McCabe's, of course. It wasn't particularly pretty, but it did bring to UCLA the "look and feel" of McCabe's, and when I say "feel", I mean the pain experienced by anyone who has ever sat on those metal chairs for more than 30 minutes!

Folding chairs and acoustic guitars hanging on the back wall of the stage

The Ditty Bops sang two songs of their own, then later they turned into Dan Hicks' Hot Licks. Together, they sang Dan's "I Scare Myself".

The Blind Boys Of Alabama performed "Amazing Grace", but with a twist: they sang it to the tune of "House Of The Rising Sun".

Peter Rowan sang his gorgeous "Midnight Moonlight". 

After having been introduced by Lincoln Myerson, Bonnie "Prince" Billy surprised me with an excellent performance that made me want to see him as a headliner.

Jennifer Warnes sang Arlo Guthrie’s “When a  Soldier Makes It Home" and one other song.

Playing a slide guitar, David Lindley duetted with his daughter Rosanne. They were OK. Later in the evening, David came out once again to play with Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne (left), with David Lindley

Kudos go to Loudon Wainwright, who showed up after his own headlining gig in Santa Barbara. He managed to reach UCLA shortly after 11 PM, sang one song, then joined everyone else for the grand finale.

A touch of nepotism was in the air, as Richard Thompson and David Lindley brought along their singing daughters, Kami and Rosanne, respectively. They were OK, but I would have preferred to see some of the quintessential McCabe's artists who had delighted me over the years, such as Peter Himmelman, Dave Alvin, Michelle Shocked, Chris Smither or John Hammond. I guess whoever said "You can't have it all" was right ...

The grand finale was grand, indeed. Most performers came out for their final salute to McCabe's and they all had they brief solo moments, as they sang, "Hard Times (Come Again No More)" and "This Land Is Your Land". Van Dyke Parks went down into the crowd with his accordion. Jennifer Warnes asked for Eric Anderson to join the celebration and he did. A beaming Odetta was there as well, and so were all of the evening's emcees. Modestly, Richard Thompson remained in the background with his outstanding house band. The crowd was on its feet and I immediately knew that I was part of something special, something one would normally see on TV but rarely get to experience in person.

The Grand Finale, as it began

The Grand Finale, with everyone on stage

The Grand Finale

The Grand Finale - Jackson Browne, Jennifer Warnes & Loudon Wainwright (far right)

The Grand Finale - Eric Anderson, Jennifer Warnes, etc.

The Grand Finale - Van Dyke Parks

And now for a few negatives and there weren't many of those. I was less impressed with the sets delivered by the Savoy-Doucet Band (not my style) and Peter Case, who chose to perform two long songs that I don't believe were among his best. Jackson Browne sang three songs that sounded quite boring to me. Magician Ricky Jay's card-throwing act was nothing special and definitely out of place.

But it's not right to end my write-up on a negative note. Without a doubt, the show was one of the very best I have ever witnessed, and I did witness a few.

Backstage: Taras Prodaniuk, Jennifer Warnes & Jackson Browne

Backstage: McCabe's founder Gerald McCabe, with Nancy Covey

Backstage: McCabe's founder Gerald McCabe, with Jennifer Warnes

 

Concert #502 - Loudon Wainwright & Friends (Peter Case Benefit) at McCabe's Guitar Shop

This was the first of three sold-out concerts organized at McCabe's to benefit Peter Case, whose medical expenses had amounted to much more than his wallet could bear. Tickets cost $50 per night, a small amount to pay for a good cause, not to mention the chance to see a plethora of great musicians who offered their time and talent to help out a fellow musician in need.

Announced as "Loudon Wainwright III & Friends", the evening sold out ina couple of days.

LIST OF PERFORMERS

Loudon Wainwright III

Van Dyke Parks

Inara George

Phranc

George Gerdes

Peter Case

Leland Sklar

Grant Geissman

The concert kicked off with Van Dyke Parks and Inara George, who played a few songs from their earlier collaborative effort, Inara's "An Invitation" album. Not bad for a short set, but not my cup of tea for a full evening.

Inara George & Van Dyke Parks

Phranc's set was short, but quite good. She sang one of my favorite Phranc songs, "I Like You", then she followed up with "I'm A Peter Case Lover", a paraphrase of her own "Live Lover".

Phranc

Loudon Wainwright brought out a somewhat reluctant Peter Case, at his first public appearance after his open heart surgery in January 2009. Looking understandably weak and out of shape, Peter brought the house down with his version of Blind Willie McTell's "Broke Down Engine Blues".

Peter Case

Loudon's long-time friend and collaborator George Gerdes popped in for a couple of songs, while the legendary Leland Sklar and guitarist Grant Geissman provided accompaniment during much of the evening.

Leland Sklar

The show was closed, as expected, by Loudon Wainwright. It was my seventeenth time to see him live in concert, which probably explains why I can't remember a single song he played that night. But he was his usual good self, that I know.

All-in-all, it was a fun evening, with a few great artists coming and going in quick succession, which kept all of us fully engaged until the lights went on.

Concert poster in the window at McCabe's (with unwanted street reflections)

Concert #505 - T Bone Burnett & Friends (Peter Case Benefit Concert) at McCabe's Guitar Shop (May 3, 2009)

Only at McCabe's. Where else can you have a front-row center seat and see the heavyweights I got to see on May 3, 2009. But front-row center seats don't come easy - they have to be earned, so there I was at the door, first in line, more than two hours before they allowed people in. My friends may be right after all - I am crazy.

This was the third and final night of Peter Case benefit concerts held at McCabe's. Tickets cost $50, just like for the first two nights

LIST OF PERFORMERS

T Bone Burnett

Richard Thompson

Katie Melua

Eric Idle

Syd Straw

Joe Henry

Geoff Muldaur

Bob Neuwirth

Sam Phillips

Peter Case

Carla Olson

The concert was kicked off by T Bone himself, who played five newer songs. He used two old vintage microphones that stayed on the stage for the entire duration of the concert.

Syd Straw came out with none other than Richard Thompson - it appeared to me that they had been chatting upstairs and when time came for Syd to take the stage, Richard simply tagged along, to Syd's utter surprise.

Syd Straw

Joe Henry's set was very well received - he played two well-crafted songs in his inimitable style.

Joe Henry at McCabe's (photo by Roman Cho)

A yet-to-be-fully-recovered Peter Case, accompanied by a string quartet, played "A Million Miles Away", the biggest hit the Plimsouls ever had. Following that, Peter was joined by Eddie Munoz and David Pahoa, his former Plimsouls bandmates, and together they played "Oldest Story in the World".

Carla Olson, helped out by Eddie Munoz and David Pahoa, played "Now", a song written by Peter Case during his Plimsouls days.

Helped by the same string quartet, Sam Phillips, T Bone Burnett's ex-wife, sang "Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us", and received a huge applause for her outstanding delivery.

Sam Phillips

During the intermission, just as I was standing against the stage, Eric Idle came out to prepare for his upcoming set. Our eyes met, Eric winked at me and I nodded back in approval. That was my chance to quip "Say no more" in response to his wink, but that brilliant idea came to me only after the show. Eric then took the stage and sang two utterly funny songs meant primarily for adult audiences.

Eric Idle

T Bone Burnett came out to introduce Katie Melua, a European mega-star little known in the States, who happened to be in Los Angeles for a recording session with T Bone. I had been very familiar with her music and her stature, so seeing her up-close was the undisputed highlight of the evening. Katie sang the beautiful "Nine Million Bicycles" and I was in heaven.

Katie Melua at McCabe's (photo by Roman Cho)

Here's Katie Melua delivering "Nine Million Bicycles" pretty much like she sang it at McCabe's:

Geoff Muldaur and Bob Neuwirth delivered good sets consisting of two songs each.

Richard Thompson, the final solo performer of the evening, played four songs, among them "The Dimming Of The Day", then everyone came back for the grand finale, which was Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin'  Heart". And so ended an unforgettable night like I may never see again.

Concert #587 - Dave Alvin, Chris Smither & Peter Case at McCabe's Guitar Shop (April 3, 2011)

Posters in the window at McCabe's

A rare triple-header at McCabe's, featuring three of the very best. I caught the 7 PM show. There was a late show as well, both had sold out much in advance. The show was great, but ... yes, there was a "but" ... after having seen the three protagonists perform separately countless times, I can say that in this case, the "whole" was smaller than the sum of its parts. Let me explain.

They all shared the stage and took turns at performing their numbers - when one of them went to work, the other two were simply watching. They sang four songs each, they all pitched in on a few more, then the show was over. In plain English, the concert was short, very short. I had seen many musicians delivering much longer sets all by themselves. Four songs from Dave, then four more from Chris and Peter left me wanting for much more.

From L to R: Rick Shea, Dave Alvin, Chris Smither, Peter Case

The concert started with an instrumental version of Elizabeth Cotten's "Freight Train", followed by Dave Alvin's "Down The Rio Grande", a song he co-wrote with Tom Russell. Dave's second song was "Black Rose Of Texas", a gorgeous ballad dedicated to the late Amy Ferris, one of his long-time musical collaborators. In response to a request, Dave followed up with "King Of California", then rounded up his set with the outstanding "Harlan County Line".

Dave Alvin

Chris Smither's first song was "Don't Call Me Stranger", followed by "I Don't Know", a funny song inspired by his adopted daughter, "Surprise, Surprise" and "Train Home". My impression was that he held back a bit - I had seen him displaying much more guitar virtuosity in earlier appearances.

Chris Smither

Peter Case was in excellent form, but sadly, I don't know the titles of any of his songs. One of them was a Ledbelly-written prison song, another one mentioned "Pig Nation", his band during his pre-Plimsouls years, but that's about all I remember.

Peter Case

The show ended with "Railroad Bill", a team effort, then for the encore they all sang "Casey Jones". There were plenty of fun stories between the songs. Rick Shea provided good support on guitar and mandolin throughout the show.

The day started with the sweet new sounds of Sara Lynn, my second grand-child, born just before 9 AM.

Sara Lynn, four-hours old

Todd and Lynn, Sara Lynn's other set of grand-parents, were my guests for the show. It was their first time at McCabe's and they loved it.

Lynn and Todd in line at McCabe's

Peter Case reporting to work at McCabe's