John Sebastian ~ 2018 June 9 ~ The Spire ~ Plymouth, MA
John Sebastian accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, singing songs and telling stories. Guitars were a Heritage and a Veillette custom-built from a luthiery in Woodstock, New York.
Set List
Satisfied - Just Don't Stop 'Till You're All Worn Out - Do You Believe in Magic - You Didn't Have To Be So Nice - Jug Band Music - Younger Girl - Strings Of Your Heart - Walk Right Back {Everly Brothers, instrumental} - My Passing Fantasy - Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind - Welcome Back Kotter - Coffee Blues {Mississippi John Hurt} - Daydream ... encore ... Darling Be Home Soon ... concert also included snippets of numerous other songs used to illustrate the stories
Review
John Sebastian put on a highly enjoyable show at my new favorite venue, The Spire in Plymouth, MA. He performed for almost two hours, mixing songs in with extensive storytelling. The stories about his career were illustrated by bits and pieces of songs from the Lovin' Spoonful's many influences, in addition to full performances of a generous number of Spoonful and Sebastian originals.
He was extremely funny and engaged the audience wonderfully. The house was completely sold out, including the SRO tickets up in the balcony at the back of the room. The stories drew from his early days watching and learning from the masters (Mississippi John Hurt and others), the struggles and successes of a new band, his further career writing songs for TV (both children's and adult), the joys of parenthood, the hijinks of the Spoonful days and the personality of his late beloved bandmate Zal Yanovsky.
One story concerned touring down south in a schoolbus opening for The Supremes. Due to the tension of the times the bands would board the bus right away after the show, and sometimes musicians would wind up sleeping on each other's shoulders. Years later at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Diana Ross, dressed in an elegant sequined dress and having just nailed a Billie Holliday vocal, spotted John and said: "didn't I sleep with you in a schoolbus once?"
One of the best stories concerned John, as a 16 year old, taking a girl he liked, Miss D'Amato, to a Jim Kweskin Jug Band concert. But the girl went home with the singer instead of with John. And that's how Maria D'Amato met Geoff Muldaur. All ended well for John; he has been married happily now for 46 years. He stated that a happy marriage isn't good for songwriting, however.
There was much laughter from the audience, a lot of singing along, and at one point, some shrieks as a bat flew over the stage. John quipped that the bat was his pet and that he would be doing some "chirping along." John also commented on the tourist atmosphere in Plymouth and at the end of the show declared: "Plymouth, you rock!" (Maybe that's an obvious thing to say, but I'd never heard it before!)
John Sebastian's voice has matured; at age 74, he sounds a bit like the grizzled bluesmen who were his favorites as a youth. But his guitar playing is amazing, and his ability to engage and entertain an audience is just out of this world. This Rock and Roll Hall of Famer proved tonight to this audience that he richly deserves that designation.
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