Rupert Wates ~ 2026 March 30 ~ Wareham Free Library, Wareham, MA
Rupert Wates, guitar and vocals
Review
Rupert Wates is a folksinger who was born in England but has lived in New York City for many years. We had never heard of him before this show but his bio sounded interesting, and who doesn't love a free show in a library? He played for an hour, playing two different acoustic guitars and singing with a very appealing baritone voice. He introduced the songs with interesting stories, engaging the audience and sometimes making us laugh. He told some jokes between songs. When encouraging us to patronize his merch table, he said that his CDs have nutritional value; "if you buy them, then I eat."
Many of the songs were originals. One revolved around the word "waits" as a play on his last name. Another, "Father to the Man," was inspired by his young son. There were some more traditional sounding folk songs with themes from the King Arthur legend, and some with a maritime theme, citing our proximity to the ocean at this location. He played a series of classical pieces from Bach, Erik Satie, and Segovia; Rupert said that during the pandemic he immersed himself in classical music to pass the time. This was a lovely change of pace from the usual folk concert and demonstrated his skill as a guitarist.
We had been to outdoor shows at the Wareham Free Library on Mondays during the summer, but this was the first off season indoor show we'd been to there, and a big thank you to Patrick and the staff of the library, and their funding sources, for keeping these concerts going once a month during the off season. The concert took place in a meeting room with plenty of space for the pleasingly large crowd who turned out to fight off the doldrums that this dramatic weather we've been having has left behind.