Graham Parker and Garland Jeffreys ~ 2012 March 10 ~ Berrie Theater, Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ
Graham Parker accompanying himself on guitar, harmonica and kazoo; followed by Garland Jeffreys accompanied by a second guitarist
Set List (Graham Parker)
(with Gibson acoustic): That's What They All Say - Depend On Me - Problem Child - Under The Mask Of Happiness - Old Soul - Stick to the Plan - Back Door Love - (with Fender electric): I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again - You Don't Have to Live In Shadows - Discovering Japan - Too Much Time {Captain Beefheart}
Set List (Garland Jeffreys)
I'm Alive - Coney Island Winter - 35 Millimeter Dreams - Song For Woody {Dylan} - Spanish Town - New York Skyline - I May Not Be Your Kind - Don't Call Me Buckwheat - She Didn't Lie - Matador ... encore ... Gotta Get Away - Wild in the Streets - 96 Tears
Review
For about seven years, from 2004 through 2010, I attended Graham Parker concerts frequently. But an interest in other performers and a lack of local GP shows combined to keep me away from Parkerville for almost two years. So, it was with great anticipation that Concert Going Partner and I arrived at the Berrie Center at this northern New Jersey college venue.
This venue is way too nice for rock 'n' roll. It's a theater, with comfy seats, a huge stage on which one could easily stage a full ballet, and a towering proscenium. The sound was excellent. I was somewhat disappointed that a no pictures/no video rule was not just posted, but announced, so I didn't take any footage; but it was just as well, since not having seen Graham in such a long time, it was fun to just sit back and listen.
Graham came out from backstage a few minutes after 7:00 carrying his Gibson acoustic guitar and wearing a grey and black long-sleeved shirt with a design consisting of diamond-shaped grids, each with a central black diamond. He looked and sounded great, but did not play long enough. He played for less than one hour, playing only eleven songs and no encore. This was because he was the first half of a two-part bill, with Garland Jeffreys on next.
Graham was his usual witty self, referring to the Mayan calendar that some think predicts the end of the world this coming December. Is the world going to end, he asked, or are we all going to elevate? Since this was his first gig of 2012, he said, he "had to practice." On most songs he sounded just fine; on one of two new songs ("You Don't Have to Live in Shadows") with a jazzy guitar, he sounded like he did need a touch more practice. He followed that one with a song he's played so often he could play it in his sleep ("Discovering Japan").
Four years ago during the recording of GP's Don't Tell Columbus, Graham discovered a new musical instrument: the kazoo, which he used to great effect on his politically satirical song, "Stick to the Plan." Since then he has applied the kazoo to two more songs, but "Stick to the Plan" remains his best kazoo song. It was a show-stopper in concert four years ago; but I never thought I'd hear it again; but here we are in another election cycle, and GP pulled it out of the dusty bin of his old songs and played it, and it sounded great! It was the highlight of the show for me. The other highlight was the dramatic rocker, "I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again," from GP's Deepcut to Nowhere.
Graham played two new songs, the jazzy one I already mentioned, and another new song with something of an old-time crooner sound, "Old Soul." The new album (Three Chords Good), for which GP recruited his old band the Rumour, has been recorded and is awaiting a release later this calendar year (hopefully before the world ends).
GP finished up with a cover you wouldn't expect, Captain Beefheart's "Too Much Time." Off stage he shook hands and sold merch, assisted by his son Jimmy who has grown about six inches (at least) since I last saw him performing the role of "merch boy" at a Graham show.
After Graham left the stage, on came Garland Jeffreys. I had never seen Garland perform before. One of the reasons I made the long trip to see this show was to spend time with my good friend Maureen, who is a fan of both GP and Garland. Garland was wearing a black pirate shirt with red roses and white skulls. He had an additional guitarist who accompanied him. He has a great singing voice and entertaining stage manner. He actually went out into the audience a few times and once even sat on my friend Maureen's lap for one verse of a song. He was fun, witty and entertaining and he writes great songs, but why was he the headliner while Graham Parker, one of the most insightful songwriters of our generation, was the opening act? Oh, well. I definitely enjoyed Garland's set, but I was disappointed to see the majority of the time in the evening given over to him. At the very least, if they were true co-headliners, they should have been given equal amounts of time, but GP's 45 minutes led to Garland's 90 minutes, including a three-song encore, and it didn't seem fair.
An odd coincidence is that Garland played a Dylan cover, "Song For Woody," which I have heard Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams perform a few times over the past couple of years.
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