Greg Brown - live in Pawtucket

Greg Brown is absolutely hypnotizing. When he opens his mouth for a story or a song you can’t help but to be drawn in. About a week ago he played what was the first sit down show at the newly opened Met Café in Pawtucket. Mr. Brown, aided with his brand new Seagull guitar, treated the crowd to about 90 minutes of stories, laughter, singing and dynamite acoustic blues licks.

Greg has a plethora of songs and since its just him up there you don’t know which song (or arrangement) you were going to get, he can literally play anything he remembers. As far as I'm concerned, he played all the classics that got me hooked on his entire catalog. Balancing humor (“Fat Boy Blues”) with sincere love songs (“Spring Wind”); odes to simple family life (“Canned Goods”) with tales of life on the road (“Mose Allison Played here”) - a Greg Brown show is truly a window in to this man’s inner being. The guy is just the embodiment of honest music. Greg Brown doesn’t sing songs because he wants to, it’s because he has to. As always, he pays homage to his roots in his show. With Merle Haggard and Mose Allison covers, Greg lets you see how he became the songwriter he is today.

His whole catalog gets considered at his shows from his newest composition to some of his oldest. It's amazing how he can captivate you with songs he released 25+ years ago as well as brand new ones and even songs that aren’t his. As a singer/songwriter myself, I marvel at this guy's longevity and continued relevancy. He is truly a folk icon. Check out the video below for a small interview and some snapshots of him performing live on Mountain Stage.

Set List: Evening Call, Fat Boy Blues, Freak Flag, Spring Wind, Laughing River, Skinny Days, You Drive Me Crazy, What Happened? (Merle Haggard), He Reached Down (Iris Dement), If I Had Known, Cheapest Kind, Canned Goods
E1: Ever Since the World Ended (Mose Allison), Mose Allison Played Here
E2: One Wrong Turn

Opener/s: none
Venue Info:
beer sitch: $5 bucks for harpoon IPA, $2.50 for a Gansett, nice.
parking: Plenty of street parking
Capacity: 515, probably third full.