quick hit review

The P. Griffin show last night was excellent. First and foremost, I do not give good reviews to performers and venues that don’t have good time management (this applies primarily to theater venues; bars / nightclubs are different animals). The details of that management are these: timely start, short opening act performance, headliner equipment up and ready to go, short break between acts, 90-100 minute performance by headliner, and preferably no encore. If you’re tipping your head like a confused dog when you read about my lack of interest in encores, I’ll tell you my feelings. If I’ve paid $40 to come see your show I don’t need to stand there and clap like an ass for five minutes before you come out to play two or three more songs. My ticket is my encore (call it a pre-core); play all your songs, hit me hard to finish the show, turn the lights up, and go home. There. Here was last night’s timing – 2 hours and 35 minutes of show, gate to finish.

8pm – Scott Miller steps on stage to open, right on time
8:35 – Scott Miller says thanks (he was good enough) and walks off stage
8:40 – I’m in the Warner lobby getting drinks
9:00 – Patty comes out and starts her set
10:35 – Patty and the band are done (not including encore; I didn’t stay)
11:05 – Home from the show, the walk, the Metro.

Patty Griffin may have the best voice going in music today. She also has a great band that reminds me of the two great backing bands I’ve seen in recent years: Madeleine Peyroux and Joan Baez. All three groups are cut from the same cloth: great band leadership (in this case the lead guitar player), and a thumping / hippy / head-bobbing / bass-loving rhythm section. The most interesting of last night’s backers was one Bryn Davis who plays stand-up bass, cello, keyboards, and sang back-up vocals (according to her myspace she plays with Grisham, Rowen and Rice, Bela Fleck, and Guy Clark; and she has bass tats on her back – very cool). That’s a Telluride picture of her above. When they all cut loose on a few of Patty’s rawkus songs the whole theater was on fire; they had so many layers of sound coming at you that it was impossible to not get drawn in. In addition to the show’s timeline and the quality performance, the mixing crew had everything just right. In particular, Patty’s vocals were set so you could hear every lyric and intonation of her voice. They get 4 cellos on my 5 cello scale.

(photo courtesy of Tim Benko's Fine Art Photography)