One of my favorite concert-going memories of 2017 was the shared electric elation after seeing The Zombies on the last date of their U.S. tour at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton .
I was in a sea of people, getting carried along in the slow jostle out the front doors, and suddenly found myself next to numerous friends, our pushy paths converging. We made our way to the side wall for some breathing room, hugs and smiles. The joy of that show wiped away the world’s weight for a bit. I’m glad I was there.
Here are my favorite shows of 2017, all of which sent me back out into the world happier and healthier.
The Zombies concert in May featuring their hits, new material, and their masterwork “Odessey and Oracle” played beginning to end (announced as the last time the original members plan to perform that album together in the US).
I’ll never forget the first time I dropped the needle on side two of that record, the song “Changes,” with its haunting Mellotron intro and grand chorale of voices; at the Calvin, vocalist Colin Blunstone, keyboard maestro Rod Argent, bassist Chris White, drummer Hugh Grundy and their expanded band got close to that magic. They performed everything from that diverse album with loving care, whether it was the ominous wailing war story “Butcher’s Tale,” the cheerful stomp of “Friends of Mine” or the groovy, breathy hit “Time of the Season.”
It being the last date of their tour, White addressed the crowd at show’s finale: “We’d like to take our hats off to Colin and Rod, but since we’re not wearing any hats, we’ll put some on!” And so everyone on stage did just that. It was goofy and nice, and they brought their whole crew out from the wings for a show-ending party — an encore of “She’s Not There,” their biggest worldwide hit. The group’s extended touring family danced among the band members with extra tambourines, a giddy end to a good night.
Singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin returned to The Iron Horse in May, starting her show with a calm and compelling performance of Paul Simon’s “American Tune,” its lyrics vibrating on a more powerful frequency than usual, given the current political reality.
“The bottom line is you don’t come to see me to have a good time,” Colvin quipped with a smile, referring to the high amount of breakup songs in her back catalog, but I loved her raw and personable concert. An aside: The first time I ever got to play on The Iron Horse stage was as a nervous accompanist at a 1991 open mic, playing acoustic guitar for a singing friend on three songs, two of which were covers of Colvin’s classics “Shotgun Down the Avalanche” and “Diamond In the Rough” — the latter is also the name of Colvin’s 2012 memoir, a definite recommended read.
Soundman Dan Richardson left the Valley for Vermont some time ago, but to celebrate his 60th birthday back in September, he invited some of his favorite area bands to play a special concert at the Stone Church in Brattleboro. Richardson has long been a supporter and mega-fan of musicians, Valley-based and otherwise, and it was great to see him up behind the soundboard — his natural habitat — smiling big and shimmying around while working as hard as he would at any non-birthday show, running out between bands to reposition gear all night long.
The Demographic appeared with a unique lineup, Winterpills harmonized sweetly, Syd Straw followed her muse with a big heart, Soul Magnets ended the night with a dance party, but my personal show highlight was seeing Richardson and his old afrobeat mash-up orchestra AstroBeast get together again. He was the beaming bass anchor in the center of a stage full of musicians — horns, percussion, guitars, vocalists. Groovy good vibes.
I saw three fantastic shows in one memorable weekend in late-September — DeQn Sue at The Sierra Grille, Margaret Glaspy at Gateway City Arts and Sheila E at the Big E.
DeQn Sue was a big talent in a tiny space, a singer/songwriter who didn’t win first place in NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest but was so loved by the producers they invited her on anyway. The charismatic Los Angeles artist put on a punky quirky soulful and short show for a packed room — I even got shoved out of the way by a couple needing to dance. I didn’t mind.
Glaspy brought her electric but understated trio to the Holyoke stage to play the majority of her great record “Emotions and Math,” plus some choice covers, including a striking, show-closing solo performance of Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.” Glaspy had an emotive and elastic voice and played her Telecaster with grit and focus; her songs’ confident use of space was bracing and refreshing.
Sheila E at the Eastern States Exposition made honest political statements without sacrificing any fun or dancing opportunities, like with her large band’s cover of“Everyday People” by Sly & the Family Stone. “This is what America looks like,” she said during a vamp, spreading her arms out to the cheering, diverse, on-its-feet audience. “Bring it to the White House, y’all.” The show began and ended with non-stop soul revue medleys and made time in the middle for E to climb down into the crowd for a ballad, then invite a throng of fans onto the stage to show off their moves, and — since she is “The Queen of Percussion” — spotlight her commanding and theatrical way with timbales, drums and rhythm. I danced with my super-sized bag of kettle corn.
Finally there was Jonathan Richman at Gateway City Arts just last month, a bright example of being in the here and now. The Natick-born singer/songwriter (with trusted drummer Tommy Larkins by his side) was all about bringing people together through the simple things in life — a good beat, a singalong, some dancing, honesty, humor and human interaction. One of his non-preachy points was to always stay engaged. As one song went, over a gently bobbing Latin beat: “When we refuse to suffer / when we refuse to feel / we’re just a can of Pringles / we’re just a Happy Meal.”