Previous concert (Studio Two) ... Next Concert (Crowes Pasture)

... by Joanne Corsano ... joanne@picturelake.com

The Thompson sisters and Maura

click thumbnail to see a photo gallery
of the concert

Personnel: Maura Kennedy, vocals and guitar; Pete Kennedy, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and vocals. Backing vocals during the second set: Chris and Meredith Thompson.

Like An Angel - Without Us - Long Road to Freedom - Girl On a Motorcycle - When a Home Becomes a Castle - Meant To Do - Puzzlewood - Seeds Of Peace - Smoketree ... intermission ... with Chris and Meredith Thompson: Jolene {Dolly Parton} - Season Of the Witch {Donovan} - Johnny Come Down To Hilo {traditional} - Matty Groves {traditional} - just Pete and Maura: Wall of Death {Richard Thompson} - with Chris and Meredith Thompson: Bend In the River - just Pete and Maura: Safe Until Tomorrow - Midnight Ghost - with Chris and Meredith Thompson: Stand

Meant To Do

This show was the second after the release of Pete and Maura Kennedy's new studio album, "Smoketree." The first set consisted of nine songs from the album, omitting only three songs from the album. The album is certainly worth having but it's a little uneven. I find "Without Us," Maura's ode to the planet healing itself after the demise of the human race, to be truly depressing, in fact, the first song ever recorded by The Kennedys that I could describe that way. And "Girl on a Motorcycle," although it's a good song, is so out of place (it touches on '60s psychedelia) I feel like somebody picked up the radio and abruptly changed the channel.

Where the album, and as a result the live show, really shines is in Pete's songwriting contributions. His rock-adjacent "Long Road To Freedom," inspired by the situation in Ukraine, is inspiring. The autobiographical "Meant To Do" is so good Maura was teary-eyed at the end, and the only thing wrong with it is it's too short. It jumps from getting his first Silvertone guitar from Sears Roebuck as a young teen to meeting Maura in Austin, Texas decades later -- where's starting his first band, playing his first gig, writing his first song, cutting his first record?? (In fifty plus years of listening to pop music I think this is the first time I've ever complained that a song was too short.) And the album-ending "Seeds of Peace," with its limerick rhyme scheme (of all things) and its echoes of Gil Scott-Heron seguing into a major key just leaves the listener with a feeling of hope for the world.

Of course it's not just Pete's contributions that are topnotch; there are some mystical leanings on there, in "Smoketree" itself and "Puzzlewood," and Maura's beautiful comment on the songwriting process (and singalong), "Like An Angel."

Pete played a white Fender electric guitar, a banjo, and a mandolin. Maura's usual southern Jumbo was in the shop, and she was playing an acoustic Gibson.

After the "Smoketree" set, Pete and Maura took a break and were joined for the second set by Chris & Meredith Thompson on backing vocals. Chris and Meredith are twin sisters who played with Pete and Maura in their band called the Strangelings, a side project that lasted a few gigs and one album around 2007. The sold out audience were singing along and having a fine old time. They performed two traditional songs, "Johnny Come Down To Hilo," which really rocked, and "Matty Groves," already familiar to Kennedys fans.

Another highlight of the set was their performance of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Dolly had just passed away a few days before. Their version was so good, with the harmonies from Maura, Chris, and Meredith absolutely angelic. I was in tears. Dolly Parton was such a force for good in the world, and this tribute was the best thing they could have done.

When the Strangelings mini-set was done and Chris and Meredith sat down, Maura called out for requests, and somebody quick in the audience shouted "Wall of Death," then somebody else shouted "Bend in the River," which called for Chris & Meredith to return. They sat down again and Pete and Maura tore into "Safe Until Tomorrow" and "Midnight Ghost," and for the encore, and Chris and Meredith's return, the anthemic "Stand" (which the audience did). All in all, it was an absolutely fabulous show, one of the best I've seen Maura and Pete do.

The Burren itself is a great venue. Concert Going Partner and I drove up from the Cape and, because all the traffic was going the other way, we had no trouble at all getting there. Had a very nice dinner out in the main room (their menu is really good, and surprisingly not too expensive), and sauntered in to the concert room early enough that we were able to have a nice chat with Pete before the show. Thanks, Pete, for treating us to the desserts! The only complaint, maybe, is that we had to beat a quick retreat after the show because another band was coming in for the late night dance crowd.

Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Maura and Pete.