One month after the tragic events of Sept. 11, Meeting Grace did its own bit of healing with help from Steve Poltz. He started the night off with a brand new song that he'd completed that evening on the porch and in the back bedroom. Entitled "If I Had a Medical Career," the song was well-received in its slow tempo with lines like, "If I had a medical career, I'd get rid of the gene that causes war." Amen.

What followed was a classic night for Poltz fans, new & veteran alike. Playing to a very full house, Poltz treated everyone in attendance to personal stories as well as his fun, poignant, bittersweet & irreverent songs. He cruised through tunes such as "10 Chances," "What Would Ghandi Do?" "Beautiful Day" and "98 Pounder."

In what was one of the best moments in this house concert's short history, Steve was telling a story about walking a girl home during his college days. He had strong feelings for this girl and he decided to reenact the scene. He asked Pat Flor, one of the guests in the audience, to stand in as his love. They went outside and came in the front door together and then he turned to her and sang part of a Rickie Lee Jones song to her. The whole house was quiet and seemed to believe we were truly watching this romantic scene as it happened. It was a truly magical moment.

From there it was more of the same magic with stories and songs like "Great Mystery" (written with Gregory Page) and "If It Feels Right" (written with Anya Marina). He brought up his friend, Jeff Berkley, to add percussion to a few songs such as "Water You Everyday," "I Love Ya" and "The Star Wars Song" which was complete with the crowd chiming in on the Chewbaca chorus sing-along. Poltz took a short break and let Jeff sing one of his popular tunes, "High School Town" which was quite a treat.

To round out the show, Poltz performed, among other tunes, "Silver Lining" and "Welcome Home." He asked a fellow Palm Springs High alum to stand up and sing the Alma Mater with him which was quite fun to watch & hear. And finally, he ended with a wonderful tune, one of my favorites, called "Holliston Street."

All in all, it was a fabulous evening filled with warmth and friends. Thanks to everyone who was able to be part of it. See you again soon.


Check out some photos from the show!