Row E, Seats 114-115 (center section on the left aisle)
The Seldom Scene displayed their usual virtuoso musicianship and vocal
harmonies in a 75-minute set Friday evening before a large, appreciative crowd.
As usual, the band’s repertoire ranged far and wide, including blues (“Rollin’
and Tumblin’”), gospel (the stunning vocals of “I’ll Be No Stranger There”),
and even Rat Pack (“The Small Exception Of Me”, popularized by Dean Martin).
They also covered songs made famous by James Taylor (“Sweet Baby James”), John
Fogerty (“Big Train (from Memphis)”), and Arlo Guthrie (Steve Goodman’s “City
Of New Orleans”). Other standouts included “Through The Bottom Of The Glass”, “California
Cottonfields”, and the haunting “Blue Ridge”. Overall, the show was great enough
that I forgave them for not getting to “Wait A Minute”, my personal favorite.
Americana-inspired country trio Maybe April did a nice job in their
40-minute opening set, despite the absence of one member of the trio. (“Oliver”
did a fine job as a fill-in “frontwoman”, taking the lead instrumental role on
all of the material.) Even reduced to two parts rather than three, their vocal
harmonies sounded fine, and the material was surprisingly strong, notably on
the opening “Blush”, “California”, and the closing “Isabel”.
