The Figgs ~ 2020 March 7 ~ The Burren ~ Somerville, MA
Mike Gent, lead and backing vocals, electric guitar, drums, percussion; Pete Donnelly, lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, electric guitar; Pete Hayes, drums, lead vocals; John Powhida, vocals on a song or two; Bill Janovitz, guitar and vocals on a few songs.
Set List
The Figgs posted their set lists to setlist.fm. Here are the links:
Videos
Scroll down past the videos for review; scroll past the review, to the very bottom of the page for a link to the photo album.
Grab Your Pack
On the Slide
Cheap Cassettes
Come On Tonight
The Trench
Review
Last year The Figgs played a double show just like this one at the Burren, with the first show starting at 4 pm. Mike Gent, observing that many parents had brought their little ones to the matinee show, joked that they don't have any children's songs in their catalog. This time around, in response to a query from an audience member, he confessed they still don't have any kids' songs, but Pete Donnelly said all their songs are kids' songs. Mike did open the matinee show by saying "Good morning" to the audience.
Just a minute or two after 4 pm, The Figgs -- Mike Gent, Pete Donnelly, and Pete Hayes, that perfectly balanced three-pointed star of indie rock -- tore into their very long setlist with enthusiasm, stellar playing, affection for the audience, and a joyfulness that was absolutely infectious. They played a very pleasing mixture of familiar Figgs chestnuts, a handful of covers, and a generous number of tunes from their new album, Shady Grove, a double album if you buy on CD, and a triple album on vinyl. The encore song was a brand new song they had never performed live before. The second show followed the same formula and only repeated a handful of songs from the first show; the repeats were a few numbers from the new record, including the great "Grab Your Pack." If anything, the set list for the second show was even hotter than the first, with the phenomenal title track of the new record -- a combo of Led Zeppelin and Curtis Mayfield, according to Mike -- a highlight. I also enjoyed their ramped up rendition of The Kinks' "Village Green" as well as some of my alltime fave Figgs tunes, including "Cheap Cassettes," "Simon Simone," and "The Trench" to name just a few.
A showstopper at any Figgs concert is Pete Hayes Time. Pete, their drummer, becomes the lead singer/frontman for a couple of songs. He is a maniac when he becomes the star, eagerly absorbing the attention of the adoring audience. Both Pete Donnelly, who moves over to guitar for this, and Mike Gent, who gets to play the drums, also enjoy this immensely. Pete Hayes hasn't written a lot of songs, especially when compared to the ultra prolific Gent and Donnelly, but all his songs are winners, and he got to do two in each of the two shows today. I got a video of one of them (above).
The threesome were joined in the first show by their colleague in the local music scene, John Powhida, who joined in on vocals on "The Central Stumble," a song he and Mike released some years ago. During the second show, the band were joined by local indie star Bill Janovitz, who played guitar and sang on three or four songs, including the killer title track from the new record ("Shady Grove") and a really fun cover of the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice."
There is no chance of leaving a Figgs show with anything less than a grin from ear to ear (as one of their songs phrases it). These three musicians have played together so long they can practically read each other's minds. Both Mike and Pete are superb songwriters -- Pete maybe a little more pop, Mike a little more serious, but they complement each other to perfection. Pete mentioned that this is the fifth decade of The Figgs, since they got started in the 1980s and it is now the 2020s. Let's hope this talented, fun, and dynamic trio continue to play together for a long time to come.
This was the second time in a week Concert Going Partner and I had been to the Burren. Last weekend we had an ordeal getting there due to horrific delays on the subway. So today we thought we'd drive. I'm always a little nervous about driving into a city when it's not clear where to park. But it turned out there was a lot about a five minute walk from the Burren's front door that charged only a modest parking fee and was free after 8 pm. It made for a much more pleasant experience than last week. Once there, we had a very friendly waiter with a lovely Irish accent, and treated ourselves to a nice meal from their appetizing pub food menu.
More Figgs
Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to The Figgs and band member's various incarnations.
