May 3, 1971: Review -- John Sebastian and Mary Travers without their groups

     


Remember that John Sebastian show mentioned in the story about the sound guys at KRC Associates? I saw it here in Buffalo, my second straight night in Kleinhans Music Hall. Here’s the review of both shows in Monday’s paper: 

May 3, 1971

Kleinhans Music Hall

Soulful Sebastian, Melancholy Mary 

        At a time when James Taylor is defining new levels of sadness in us all, it seems like a long, hard way down from the innocent mid ‘60s.

        What brought it home over the weekend was seeing two of the people we were digging back then – John Sebastian and Mary Travers – both working without the groups they found fame with, both out to establish some new reality from the old memories.

        Which was great for Sebastian. The guiding light of the Lovin’ Spoonful conjured up all kinds of golden smiling nostalgia in Kleinhans Music Hall Sunday night with dozens of those delicious songs he turned out five, six, seven years ago. He had enough left over for another concert.

* * *

TIE-DYED and triumphant, Sebastian radiated all the joy of his old group plus his own wide-open love of life. Here’s a man who’s kept the faith. He can even say Buffalo and it sounds beautiful.

        Happier still was his pleasure at the acoustics as he soloed the first song from his “Cheapo Cheapo Productions Presents” albums and three oldies – “Lovin’ You,” “She’s a Lady” and “Darlin’ Be Home Soon.” (“ . . . See beyond the houses of your eyes, it’s all right to shoot the moon . . .”)

        Things have changed since “Cheapo Cheapo.” Pianist Paul Harris is still with him, but Sebastian now has a full-fledged band. Kenny Altman on bass and drummer Dallas Taylor of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fame. A good rockin’ group.

        The capacity crowd clapped hands, sang along and cried for every Spoonful song it could think of. “Red-Eye Express” got a tremendous response. And Sebastian didn’t hesitate to do some of his new stuff.

        Not even a buzzing speaker could bring the show down. There were rainbows all over everybody’s blues. Sebastian did a four-song encore to standing ovations.

        “I hope you people carry on,” he closed. After a show like that, even the weather seems better.

* * *

FOR CONTRAST, there was Mary Travers in half-full Kleinhans Saturday night. Without Peter and Paul now and in her fifth solo appearance, she was a little stiff, a little distant from the audience. She’d sing something and then there’d be this polite applause, like at a recital.

        Tall, blonde and beautiful, she was everything you’d expect from a folksinging liberal in her 30s with an 11-year-old daughter.

        It was hard to take at first, bur the evening developed into a touching and personal portrait, backed quietly by piano, bass and two guitars.

        Still, that 1971 sadness clung to her. The new songs didn’t bring you up, the social comment numbers stirred all that terrible rancid guilt again and the spirit of the old songs seemed faded. When she finished, it was raining.

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