We hadn't seen The Kennedys since February of 2020, right before the world turned. We'd seen many episodes of their admirable COVID and post-COVID streams in the meantime, and were very psyched to see them live again, finally, when they announced they were coming back to The Burren's Back Room on September 4th. They have a new album out, Smoketree, and though my initial reaction was that it isn't quite as good as their last one, it's still Kennedys music and so is great. We really like these folk-rockers.
Got a parking space on a bright, late-Summer day in frantic Davis Square ... the yearly young-person migration in the Boston area was at its peak, but we struggled through and were some of the first few fans in a chilly Back Room. Had very god lamb dinners again, and the place filled in rapidly. Pete was puttering on stage as he usually does, and hob-nobbing with front row fans ... we were stage right, right in front of his mike. Maura was bustling around the whole venue as she usually does and we could see her huddling with Chris and Meredith Thompson over in the corner. We talked with Pete some about his gear (he had Stratocaster, acoustic, Rickenbacker 12-string, mandolin, and banjo lined up, just a few axes), and he told us they were planning a Strangelings reunion (the band those 4 were in).
They started a little late, and treated us to a fun concert. They covered pretty much the whole album, in order to the best of my memory. I love Pete's song, Long Road to Freedom, and also Seeds of Peace and of course Without Us from the new record. They then took a short set break and then did a second set with an assortment from throughout their career, including some hot guitar on Midnight Ghost. They can be such an appealing pair and were giving each other guitar faces during that jam.
Chris and Meredith came up and they did Matty Groves of course (I think there would have been a class action suit if they hadn't), as well as a couple of other tunes before sitting back down. They were back up for the Kennedy's anthem, Stand, with the whole crowd (well, it's not that big a room) standing and singing along.
Lots of fun, got the new album and a disc of tracks from their streams from Maura, and then glad to leave Davis Square in the rear view.
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