This was our third Patty concert this year. Renfro Valley in May, was as Patty described, a "live rehearsal", as she was playing with a new band. Billy Bob's in June rocked as the band was starting to come together and they were playing before a loud and appreciative crowd. The concert in Morgantown had its pros and cons. The band is most definitely getting tighter. Travis Toy is playing better steel and his dobro playing on the Mountain Soul mini-set is more up front. In fact, the band seems to be hitting its stride on the acoustic material. In May and June, they sounded a bit tentative, but this time they nailed Boys Are Back In Town, Cheap Whiskey (awesome), Daniel, Harlan, and Pretty Little Miss. Overall, I think Patty's voice was stronger in Texas last month. Maybe the consecutive dates are taking their toll, but in no way did she sound tired or failed to hit notes. I agree with those who said that she responds to an audience who come to see and hear her. This crowd was polite, but not necessarily a Patty crowd. They did the same premature applause thing on Harlan that Cole described in Atlanta the night before. Those are folks who have not heard the song before. We had front row seats that turned into fourth row seats by showtime. Three rows of complimentary seats for radio station giveaways appeared by late afternoon. That bummed me out a bit, although I did go up front for the encore (That Kind of Girl) and got some great photos that I will send along later. On a couple of occasions, I had to ask folks to be quiet while Patty was singing. Nothing irritates me more than people talking during a show.
The show was a big deal in Morgantown as it was the first reserved seat paid show in their new outdoor arena on the river. Nice setting. The seating held a bit more than 1,000, but their was lawn seating all around. Nice sized crowd. The Recreation and Parks Department did a lot of promotion for the show since it was a benefit concert for them. There was an opening act - solo acoustic guitar and vocal (a local guy whose name I did not get) and Patty hit the stage for what is now the standard set. The rain stopped shortly before show time. I think my wife willed it away.
I am more and more impressed with Jedd's playing. His solo work on Half Way Down is incredible. When I talked with him after the show, he told me that he uses a Fender String Bender on that song. This pulley device was made famous by my guitar hero, Clarence White from the Byrds. When you see Jedd pulling the neck of his guitar back and forth, he activates the Bender, which gives the guitar a pedal steel sound by elongating the b-string. We chatted about Clarence and Gram Parsons after the show. Jedd is truly coming into his own.
Patty did not sign afterwards even though the crowd waiting was small. They had to drive to upstate New York for a festival show the next night. So far, we are 0 for 3 for meet and greet. Maybe we will get lucky next week in South Carolina.
All said, this was an excellent show with a band that is hitting its stride in time for the meat of the tour. Patty's voice never fails to blow us away. Here is the now familiar setlist.
Nothin' Like The Lonely (it's great to have this song on cd now)
Last Thing On My Mind
Timber
Don't Toss Us Away
You Don't Seem To Miss Me
Don't Even Know Who I Am
Feel Bad
Half Way Down
On Your Way Home (the 2003 masterpiece)
Lovin' All Night
Mountain Soul mini-set complete with Ralph Stanley bluegrass festival story from 1992.
Here I Am (worth the travel and the price of admission)
Blame It On Your Heart
Elvis (Patty spoke of seeing Elvis in concert in 1973 when she was 16)
Encore: That Kind Of Girl - great photos coming! Patty apparently said the same thing she said in Atlanta the night before - that is all the time they had. The set list had Nothing But The Wheel as part of the encore, but she only did Girl.