Graham Parker ~ 2024 April 10 ~ The Met, Pawtucket, RI
Graham Parker on acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica, and kazoo.
Set List
(H) indicates harmonica - acoustic: Watch the Moon Come Down (H) - That's What They All Say (H) - Stop Crying About the Rain - Cruel Stage - Shorthand - We Did Nothing - Success - Syphilis & Religion (H) - Silly Thing - electric: Stick To Me - Devil's Sidewalk - Lost Track Of Time - I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again - Black Lincoln Continental - Discovering Japan - Get Started. Start a Fire ... encore ... acoustic/kazoo: Them Bugs - electric: Boogie Shoes - Don't Ask Me Questions
Scroll to below videos for a review of the show.
Videos
Cruel Stage
Syphilis & Religion
Them Bugs
Boogie Shoes (KC & the Sunshine Band)
Review
My last Graham Parker show was at the Iron Horse in Northampton almost five years ago. Since then, the pandemic shut everything down for a couple of years, and once Graham started touring again he hasn't played anywhere near our Cape Cod location, and we simply never started traveling the way we used to in our prime Graham years of 2004 through 2012.
So it was a real treat, and in a way a real test, for Geep to play a show just an hour away.
And, man, did he ever pass the test. His wit is as sharp as ever, his song selection as generous and eclectic as ever, his singing and guitar playing as good as ever. The show was just as pleasing as the solo shows ever were; the audience just as enthusiastic as ever. Dressed in dark gray trousers, a lighter gray jacket, and a muted yellow shirt, he really looked good, and he was adorned with fashion accessories of a yellow pen in the jacket pocket and a stylish fedora. He even commented, in a Parkeresque tongue-in-cheek way, on his fashion sense, pointing out the matching yellow pen and yellow shirt. He played a handful of songs from the new album, Last Chance To Learn The Twist, including the playful "Them Bugs" (this album's kazoo number). He played two songs from the criminally under-rated Deepcut To Nowhere, since it's about to be released on vinyl. The usual handful of classic Parker on the setlist included a couple of rarely played numbers in the form of "Cruel Stage" (from 12 Haunted Episodes) and "Devil's Sidewalk."
Another unexpected treat was the presence of Geep's daughter Natalie at the merch table. We hadn't seen her, or his son Jimmy for that matter, since our prime Graham years, and it was nice doing a bit of catching up. We surprised her a bit, I think, when we confessed that we backed off on going to see her dad when he re-formed the Rumour, since we were letting the Parker fans who weren't interested in his non-Rumour work have him for the duration. It was also nice doing a bit of catching up with the Chairman himself when he came out to the merch table (after most of the fans had left). Going back to my very first GP show (Feb. 20, 2004) I have always been impressed with the casual, relaxed way he mingles with his fans, and it made me happy to revisit that aspect of a Graham Parker show tonight.
The venue was a very nice place. Pretty easy to find off of Rte. 195, good free parking lot right across the street. Pictures of deceased rock stars adorned the walls. Tables and chairs were set up around the stage. The stage was a foot and a half up above the floor making for good sight lines.
The show was opened by a local favorite, Mark Cutler, who was well received by the crowd. He played for about a half hour. He did a song about Jimi Hendrix changing his own strings, and a song about coming out to the woods that featured a "whistle along" (as opposed to a singalong). He made one mistake; at one point he said "I could tell stories about the songs, but I won't." In my opinion, an opener should tell stories about the songs, because that's the way to engage an audience who doesn't know your songs. He did play one pleasing number, a cover of "Too Late To Turn Back Now."
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