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Concert Review: Nanci Griffith's performance at Carnegie Music Hall thrilling
Thursday, December 16, 1999 By John Young
Honoring a radio station.
Preventing child abuse.
Celebrating Christmas.
Nanci Griffith wove these disparate threads together at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland last night. The singer/songwriter/guitarist's concert was sponsored by community-funded FM station WYEP, which is trumpeting turning 25 years old. While raising nearly $20,000 for two local abuse-fighting organizations, the show also felt buoyed by seasonal goodwill.
Griffith added to that air with simple, nostalgic stories about many of the songs she performed. Before playing "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go," Griffith noted that her grandmother once told her that the song wasn't one of the prettiest she had ever written -- just the most important. Both the lyrics and the introduction artfully reminded listeners to remember all the potential good we can pass on to our children if we make the effort.
There was a wistfulness about Griffith, too, as she dipped into her catalog to play songs inspired by the holidays. "Brave Companion of the Road" rang out with hope, while a new song about Griffith's goddaughter again emphasized her deep connections with family and friends.
Not that Griffith and her five-piece Blue Moon Orchestra never strayed from the major themes of the event. They cut loose most during some choice covers. Griffith reveled in her Texas roots, bopping through the Buddy Holly tunes "Well ... Alright" and "Tell Me How."
As wonderful as her more narrative pieces sounded, Griffith positively soared when singing love songs. Her bluesy take on Frank Christian's "Drops From The Faucet" ached. "Love At The Five and Dime," meanwhile, couldn't have been more sadly beautiful. The audience "ahhed" with recognition at the song's first notes, then stayed perfectly quiet to savor the melancholic lyrics.
Opening act Dar Williams was treated with hushed reverence as well, the better to savor her soft, insightful songs. Performing solo, Williams also plugged into the themes of the show. She introduced the pointedly silly "The Christians and the Pagans" as a "winter holiday song that hasn't quite made the canon yet." She also gave a nod to the "magical" childhood her mother gave her as she introduced "When I Was a Boy."
Griffith turned up the energy of the concert, though, especially with her rocking version of "Outbound Plane." The song even included chord progressions from the Who's "Baba O'Riley" in its smashing coda. For other tunes Griffith strapped on a tobacco sunburst Stratocaster electric guitar that could've come straight out of Buddy Holly's closet.
So spirits and money were raised in high fashion. Nanci Griffith's show was the rare festive, celebratory concert event that lived up to its hype and delivered distinctive, subtle and very pretty music.
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