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| Concert Review |  |
by Ed Clark |
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| (As posted to the Official Big Country Web Site Bulletin Board):
I'm back from the Blue Heeler show at the Bongo Java Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee, where I had the privilege of hearing not one, but two shows by Stuart, Marcus, fiddler Andrea Zahn, and drummer John Gardner. If that doesn't make you jealous, my friends, then let me further add that I heard two new songs and had a chance to talk with Stuart in low key, friendly surroundings. I can only guess that I did something very noble in a previous life, as nothing I've done so far in this one entitles me to such good fortune. I made the 3 and 1/2 hour drive to Nashville from Lexington, KY, after work on Friday with my wife Erika, and her sister. My sister-in-law's husband lives in Nashville, and we dropped our stuff by his place at about 7:30 and went to the Bongo Java Cafe. I found directions to it on the internet, and they proved invaluable. The Bongo Java is in a sprawling old house that has been converted into a college coffee shop. It is next door to a used book store, and people play chess, sip coffee, and talk on its large front porch. We arrived at 7:45 and were greeted with a nice black-and-white poster of Marcus and Stuart on the front door. This made us both giddy, yes giddy, with anticipation. Erika and I were both in good spirits. She had been interviewed for a job earlier in the day and was feeling relieved to have it behind her. We were also glad to be off the road after our long drive in the dark. I saw Helen Naylor, Marcus' assistant, standing on the landing of steps that lead to the second floor, and we bought our tickets from her. We exchanged pleasantries, and then we went downstairs to order some food. We somehow ended up ordering quesadillas and cappucino—not a recommended combination, dear friends—but I can report that the cappuccino was delicious. We sat in the main "salon," drank cappuccino, ate quesadillas, and admired the collection of iconic Elvis paintings. These included depictions of Elvis at McDonalds and Elvis at a strip club with his mother. Do you remember in my last concert review when I asked if Stuart and Elvis would ever perform? Well, this is as close as it gets! We took our seats at about 8:15. Erika counted 36 seats in the house. The room had the feel of a big loft, but I was surprised by the high quality of the acoustics. I saw my friend Donna sitting across the room, and we caught up briefly with each other since the last concert. Stuart and Marcus took the stage to warm applause. Although there were probably only 30 people there, it is clear that the band enjoys playing together and would have played a full set even if Erika and I were the only ones there. They played “Old Country Country”, “Shattered Cross”, “Supernatural”, “Simple Man”, “Life Is a Church”, “The Travellers”, “Stand Up”, “Private Battlefield”, “Toujours Aime”, “My Only Crime”, “Learn To Row”, “Too Many Ghosts” and “Mexican Trout” for both shows. Marcus sounded great. “Supernatural” makes me happy everytime I hear it, and the CD version can't compare to it live. “Life Is a Church” is a bit philosophical for my taste, but the music is great and the audience clearly loved it. I'm crazy about “Toujours Aime.” It's about a man who has a fling with a Lorreal saleswoman with long tan legs. Marcus can sing a story well, as he does also in “All in Good Time.” I enjoyed hearing “Stand Up”, “Old Country, Country”, and “Blue Rose” again. I wonder if Marcus has any interest in combining the humor and narrative elements of a song like “Toujours Aime” with the spiritual content of some of his other songs. In other words, I wonder if he could write a song that makes the practice of Christianity seem like a seriously fun, rebellious, dangerous undertaking. I think he could have great success at a Christian music festival, like Icthus, in Wilmore, Kentucky. As for Stuart, well, he just keeps getting better. All of his songs were great, and all very different. I could listen to “Simple Man” and “Shattered Cross” a 100,000 times, as I have “In a Big Country”, “Come Back to Me”, “The Sailor”, “Eiledon”, “Pink Marshmallow Moon”, and “You Dreamer”. I could listen to “Private Battlefield” and “Learn to Row” 50,000 times, as I have “Chance”, “Wonderland”, “Great Divide”, “In this Place”, and “Blue on a Green Planet.” As for his new song, “My Only Crime”, well, friends, I loved it. Marcus played piano, Andrea played violin, and Stuart just sang. It was strange to see him singing without playing an instrument. I'm not going to say anything else about this song for fear of robbing you of some enjoyment upon your first hearing. I will say, however, that at the end, Stuart did a mock pirouette to everyone's amusement. Wow, just remembering that song makes me wish they'd played a third show! Both shows ended with a song called “Mexican Trout” that was brand, spanking new. Marcus even had to read the lyrics in spots. When I told Stuart that the lyrics made no sense to me, he laughed and said that they didn't understand them either. Stuart was very friendly. Between shows, he came downstairs to the coffee shop and talked with us. He said that he is frustrated by the time that it's taking to get the Big Country and Blue Heeler CDs completed. He clearly wants these out more than anybody. Otherwise, he was in good spirits, and gracious as always. I got home a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to share the joy as quickly as possible. Until the next Big Country concert in 1999, stay alive! |
