Chapin nears perfection at SPAC
by Steve Grandin, The Saratogian
What is a perfect concert? Well, first you need an artist who has both talent and charisma. Then you need a crowd that knows the performer and wants him to play. And finally you need that unexplainable “feeling” between artist and audience.
Harry Chapin probably came as close as anyone to that “perfect concert” this year as he thrilled 4,700 fans at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Monday night. Folksinger Steve Goodman added to the totally enjoyable night by providing a fine show prior to Chapin.
Billed as “America’s master storyteller in song,” Chapin is just that-and a whole lot more. Many of his ballads seem to be epics as they often eclipse the six-minute mark, combining gripping lyrics with either soft, mellow tunes or hard, driving music. The length of Chapin’s songs has kept most of them off AM radio, thus keeping his popularity down. The few tunes that the audience had heard often sent the crowd wild, but the SPAC fans will remember more of Chapin’s music.
Although Chapin’s lyrics are his most famous asset, the strongest part of the evening was the great combination of Chapin, his two brothers, Tom and Steve; guitarist Ron Palmer; bassist John Wallace; and, most of all, cellist Tim Scott. The group’s music blended perfectly, with Scott’s cello and Steve Chapin’s piano providing the mellow sounds, while Palmer, on guitar, and Tom Chapin, often on banjo, added the lively music. Wallace has the most amazing voice range that this writer has ever heard, complementing Chapin superbly. So while Chapin was telling his stories, it was these five men that made them sound as beautiful as they did.
Chapin kept the evening rolling well as he described the scene that his story-songs would tell about. His home spun humor and language kept the audience loose and allowed them to relate to his tales better.
The concert consisted of new Chapin tunes (‘You And I”, “Tangled-Up Puppet”), lesser-known story-songs (”Bummer,” “The Rock’s Gonna Fall,” “Mail Order Annie”), completely insane, foot-stomping music (“6-String Orchestra,” *30,000 Pounds Of Bananas”) and finally favorites such as “Circle,” “Sunday Morning Sunshine,” “Better Place To Be,” “I Want To Learn A Love Song,” “Cat’s In The Cradle,” “Morning DJ,” and finally his all-time hit “Taxi,” the tune that launched his career nearly five years ago. Chapin finished the concert with one of his classics, “Sniper,” a long, moving piece that uses lyrics and music equally well to look into a mad gunman’s mind.
Chapin let his brothers do some music on their own, as they each flank him on the musical spectrum. Steve’s “Let Time Go Lightly” is a mellow and easy-going piece, while Tom’s “Southern Line” is a harder type of tune. They preceded him in concert, playing about 20 minutes between Chapin and Steve Goodman.
Goodman, who has played before at Saratoga’s Caffe Lena, took most of the audience by surprise by combining good stories with fine folk music. Added in the past two weeks to the schedule, even Goodman was equally amazed that the crowd liked him so well. Many of his songs are totally irreverent, as he seems to be able to make a parody of any American institution. Best known as the author of Arlo Guthrie’s “City Of New Orleans,” Goodman enjoyed telling tales of his adventures on the road and the interesting people he’s met. Although his performance was mostly humorous, Goodman’s best-received ballad was “Ginny Evans,” a haunting tune about a young Vietnam widow.
It’s difficult to label any performance as perfect. But if Harry Chapin’s concert didn’t reach that level, SPAC probably won’t have any this year.
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