Homework
and I are worlds apart in musical taste.
He is “head-banging, guitar-shredding maniac guy” and I am “sip
lemonade, rock on the porch, listen to elevator music guy”. He is the teenager and I am grandpa. But tonight we both hopped in the V-hicle and
went to see country rock pioneer, Poco. Poco
was established in 1968, we know this because both bought the same t-shirt
after the show that reads “Poco established 1968”. Why did we buy Poco concert t-shirts? Because this was a supremely outstanding
show, that’s why. Who would have thought
that Poco was our common ground?
From
the beginning they came out rocking with “All Fired Up”, a song that was good
but not special. However, it did provide
a glimpse of what great musicians were in the band, led by sole remaining
founder Rusty Young. The other members
were all top notch musicians, both in terms of quality and quantity. On set there was one drum set, one piano, one
organ, one accordion, three electric guitars, two acoustic guitars, one steel
guitar, one lap steel guitar, a dobro, mandolin and a couple of shaker
things. All played expertly by gifted
musicians.
The
night only took off after song three, “Call It Love”, which highlighted Young’s
vocals, which were both strong and uniquely innocent, kind of like the big dude
from The Blind Side. From that point on,
then night was sheer magic with notables such as “Crazy Love”, “Kind Woman” and
a fantastic Cajun version of “In the Heart of the Night”. Also, Young told a story of early Poco’s
roots and his meeting with Neil Young just prior to playing a great song aptly
titled “Neil Young is not My Brother”.
The stories were great, the music was superb, the banter was fresh and
genuine and the show is now in my top three ever seen in Uncasville.
Finally,
and most importantly, if I were to rate the five best songs I have ever heard
at The Den, two of them were at this show.
“Hard Country” was simply out of this world with a Don Henley meets Mark
Knopfler quality to it. At eight minutes
long it was not long enough. This was
still outshone by “Rose of Cimarron”, which was almost ethereal in its
intertwining vocals and musical interlude which led Young from electric to steel
guitar.
So, a show that we were ho-hum about turned out to rock our collective worlds. We met the Poco boys after the show and were
impressed in their humility and real appreciation of their fans. Poco has just claim itself as my Number One
Must See Band at The Den.
Outstanding!
Vick
Established
1964
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