|
Michael McDonald Setlist
Marc Cohn Setlist
Read More
|
For Michael McDonald, the touring life is still a long train runnin’ that remains wide open—
The five-time Grammy award winner and former Doobie Brother brought his recent show to downtown Minneapolis at the State Theatre, in support of his first album of original music in seventeen years, Wide Open (Chonin/BMG Records).
This evening’s solid double-bill began with an opening forty-five minute set from singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, a headliner in his own right, and who has built a considerable fan base locally through his many appearances here over the last quarter-century (which he remembered by relating back the various venues he’s previously played- Lake Harriet Bandshell, Fine Line, Zoo Amphitheater, Pantages, Guthrie, and more).
Cohn’s most recent release is a self-issued collection, Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities pleasing even the most casual fans with its selection of previously unreleased demos from his earliest days (which he autographed after his set).
Cohn’s oldest brother just celebrated his fiftieth wedding anniversary, so he dedicated 1991’s ‘Perfect Love’ to them, his gravel voice still enchanting and intact after over two decades of touring, then Cohn brought out “the band”, Canadian pianist Glenn Patscha who would accompany him for the remainder of the set starting with the Fats Domino-dedicated ’29 Ways’. Saving the most popular for last, Cohn closed with his biggest radio hits, including the 1991 breakthrough ‘Walking in Memphis’ which brought the biggest cheers.
Drawing on over four decades of music, Michael McDonald had the crowd on his side from the first notes of his ninety-minute set, beginning with 1983’s ‘Ya Mo Be There’, originally a duet with James Ingram. McDonald’s seasoned band included his wife Amy Holland, an artist in her right, and a bevy of talented side players.
His blues/soul raspy vocal remains incredibly distinctive, with the older songs sounding near-identical to the original versions and the set was peppered with numerous new album cuts as well as old favorites-“We’re gonna do a song we hope you remember… at our age, I hope we remember!” he teased before ‘I Keep Forgettin’.
The new bluesy torch song, ‘Just Strong Enough’ written with Gary Nicholson, was intended for Bonnie Raitt, only to have McDonald take it back and 1986’s ‘Sweet Freedom’ had people clapping along, taking us back to the Running Scared soundtrack, while that same year’s ‘On My Own’ found several couples slow dancing in the aisles.
Husband and wife took center stage as McDonald left the piano to strap on a guitar to duet with his wife on the new album’s opener, ‘Hail Mary’, ‘Half Truth’ was on the setlist but skipped, and the main set ended with favorites, ‘Minute by Minute’ and ‘What a Fool Believes’.
The three-song encore was a treat as openers Marc Cohn and Glenn Patscha joined on stage, beginning with a sparse but soulful cover of a 1967 Box Tops hit (also popularized by Joe Cocker), a 1970 Van Morrison classic, and finishing with the full band re-emerging for a celebratory ‘Takin it to the Streets’, that found Cohn and McDonald trading verses and ending with a gospel-like flourish.
At age 65, it seems like Michael McDonald is just getting started, still embracing the time-honored favorites of yesteryear, while continuing to put out familiar-sounding but more current, mature songs such as the ones on his most recent album-- his road, it seems, is still wide open.
Remaining tour dates:|
11/14/2017 Salt Lake City, UT Eccles Theater
11/16/2017 Oakland, CA Fox Theater 11/17/2017 Los Angeles, CA Orpheum Theatre 11/18/2017 Rancho Cucamonga, CA Lewis Family 02/07/2018 Tarrytown, NY The Tarrytown Music Hall 02/09/2018 Charles Town, WV Hollywood Casino 02/10/2018 Brookville, NY Tilles Center For The Perf. Arts 02/13/2018 Rocky Mount, VA Harvester Performance 02/14/2018 Tallahassee, FL Ruby Diamond Auditorium 02/16/2018 Daytona Beach, FL Peabody Auditorium 02/17/2018 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Perf. Arts Hall 02/18/2018 Fort Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Perf. Arts |
02/20/2018 Gainesville, FL Univ. Of FL Phillips Center 02/22/2018 Cleveland, MS Bologna Performing Arts 02/23/2018 Biloxi, MS IP Casino, Resort & Spa 02/25/2018 Birmingham, AL UAB's Alys Stephens 02/27/2018 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre 03/03/2018 Fort Pierce, FL Sunrise Theatre 03/04/2018 Fort Lauderdale, FL Parker Playhouse 03/05/2018 Fort Lauderdale, FL Rock & Romance 03/17/2018 Randers, Denmark Vaerket 03/18/2018 Copenhagen, Denmark VEGA 03/20/2018 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus 03/22/2018 Amsterdam NL Royal Carré |
|
Marc Cohn |
|
Marc Cohn |
Michael McDonald w/ Marc Cohn |
Michael McDonald |
Michael McDonald |
Michael McDonald |
|
Michael McDonald at State Theatre, Minneapolis (02 Nov 2017) |
Comments