Table 101, Seat 4 (first row of tables in front of the stage)
I had seen the duo of Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan open for Mary Chapin Carpenter a few years ago, but this was the first time I saw them do a
full show, which ran about 80 minutes. Being just several feet from the stage
in such an intimate environment was quite a treat, and they certainly didn’t
disappoint. As usual, Pattengale dazzled with his guitar virtuosity, while Ryan
supplied most of the lead vocals and stage patter. (His deadpan humor, with
occasional timely interjections from Pattengale, provided more laughs than I’ve
had at some “comedy” shows.)
The setlist began with two of my favorites, “Hope Of A Lifetime” and “The
Ash & Clay”, and featured material from last year’s All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do (no,
this is not the longest album title ever), as well as a generous helping of
older material. Strangely enough, I didn’t notice anything from their excellent
2014 effort Monterey. While there was
a considerable amount of more pensive material (“Snake Eyes” and “Memphis”
being other highlights), they also made sure to include uptempo numbers such as
“New York”, “Honey, Honey”, and “Girls, Gather Round”.
Vera Sola opened with a 35-minute opening set, accompanying herself on
acoustic guitar with some elaborate finger-picking. Her songs tended to be
somewhat edgier than those of the headliners, both musically and lyrically.
Highpoints of the set included “Virgil’s Flowers” (her self-proclaimed “happy
song”) and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Ballad of a Thin Man”.
