We'd seen Marco Benevento, the amazing keyboardist for JRAD (etc.) at the 2016 GRF ... loved him, and he's been scheduled for Sinclair in Cambridge a couple of times since then. Dave saw him the first time and we all were psyched for the next time. But he was cancelled by snow early this year and rescheduled for ... September. Oh well, we could wait.
In the meantime we saw that (JRAD guitarist) Scott Metzger's band, Wolf!, was going to be opening and were almost as psyched to see them. The middle of September finally came around and we moseyed into Harvard Square after assembling in the newly-refurbished house for dinner on Friday the 15th.
Doors were at 8 and we had a good time waiting in the slight drizzle and hanging out with other enthusiasts, including the young guy I'd met at GDMUATM back in April. When we got in at 8 for the show at 9 we had our choice of standing room spots, but ended up hanging back in front of the soundboard, which is very good in some ways (sound, sight lines), but not in other ways (endless streams of people passing by left and right). The air conditioners were also going full tilt and dripping water onto the floor ... that is, if it didn't hit our heads first. Don't look up!
Anyway, we were there with some PBRs, having a good time, and then the opening, opening act came on right at 9. This was Spencer Albee from Portland (ME) on piano, with a bassist and a drummer (note the start of a pattern here). He was really good and had some good rocking tunes and a tight band. His penultimate song was Zevon's Lawyers Guns and Money, and that was right in his sweet spot. The crowd was pouring in and we, and a lot of Cambridge, were having a great Friday night already.
Then Wolf! came on and they were fantastic, as good as we imagined they would be and better. Though Scott is a great vocalist, they eschew vocals for fancy instrumentals and for the freedom to be able to pivot on a dime, fuck the lyrics! Scott had a bassist (Jay Foote subbbing for regular Jon Shaw) and drummer (Taylor Flores) with him, and both knew enough to stick with him around the slippery curves.
Scott stuck to his Telecaster and milked so many styles from it in such rapid succession that our minds were spinning, let alone our ears. He played classic rock, surf rock, rockabilly, blues rock, acid rock, country rock, a little prog rock, and lots of rock and roll. No feedback, but that's cool, he didn't have time. Can't name any of the songs he played, probably mostly originals; on listening to this archived performance with the same band, a bunch were definitely covered, so those may be the titles. The one song he introduced was Sock Full Of Quarters. Scott really showed us and the almost-packed Sinclair that he can do it.
Then it was time for Marco, the Sinclair let in the last few before closing its doors, and the air conditioners continued to drip. It was getting near 11 by that point but we weren't paying much attention to the time, though we knew we were exhausted. Oh well, can't rock and roll all night without a little inconvenience.
With Marco was his long-time second-string (but-almost-as-much-fun-as-Dave) bassist, Karina Rykman and substitute drummer Dave Butler (from Guster). They were a great band and the third trio we'd seen on the night. Guess there was some kind of rule about that. There were times when Marco could have used a guitar, but in general he's just an incredible, incredible keyboardist with an overflowing sonic palette.
Karina and Dave were wearing white t-shirts with matching slogans (We're Using Time For Fun) and white khakis, and Marco had his top-hat and pink glasses but besides that was dressed in a white suit and t-shirt himself. This meant they all glowed in unison when they started the trippy lights, though they were never that far from a trip.
Marco opened with the whole Fred Short suite and played an eclectic set list, mostly from his earlier records (after the opener). He's a great showman and had the crowd at his beck and call throughout, ending with three encores and teasing the crowd to beg for more. It didn't hurt that Karina and Dave were smiling all night, and that Karina showed some great ability to jump around the stage with her huge electric bass and rock our worlds with some booming runs.
He closed with At the Show, but we were a bit disappointed that he didn't do Heavy Metal Floating Downstream or Dropkick, two of his catchiest tunes. Oh well, we had a great time and will definitely see him again. It can be surreal to watch a great keyboardist tinkle on the ivories and then work them and work them, like they're an extension of his hands and fingers. He's nick-named his stand-up piano "Gib" (I assume it's a Gibson) and he let it take a number itself, on which it excelled of course.
OK, we were done and dragged ourselves out of there. It was already too late for the Red Line and so Dave came home with us and we all got to bed before 2, though it was close.
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