Keb’ Mo’ and The Brother Brothers — Show at Waterville Opera House 2/5/22
It was a frigid Saturday night with freshly covered snow in the quaint town of Waterville, Maine. But, it was warm and inviting for the attendees at the majestic and acoustically superb Waterville Opera House for the sold out show featuring Keb’ Mo’ and The Brother Brothers.
The Brother Brothers consisting of identical twins David and Adam Moss with their mesmerizing harmonies reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel and superb musicianship with David (on cello and guitar) and Adam (on five string fiddle) quickly grabbed the audiences’ attention.
Their abbreviated but powerful 8 song set included “On the Road Again,” “Sorrow,” “Ocean’s Daughter,” “The Banjo Song,” “Calla Lily,” “Dear John,” “Frankie,” and finished with a cover of Peter Rowan’s and Tony Rice’s “Angel Island.” Three of the songs were off their new album Calla Lily. If there could have been an encore there would have been and they left the crowd wanting for more.
It was then time for the main act, and Keb Mo strolled out on stage and sat down on a single chair surrounded by his squad of guitars and harmonicas backed up on drums and harmony vocals by Casey Wasner who was off to the side but, none the less critical to the stripped down performance that Mo was trying to accomplish.
From the first song “The Worst is Yet to Come,” Mo’ had the audience held captive and vise versa. You could feel the affection in the room between the crowd and the artist and it was obvious during the sing-a-longs. Mo’ delved into his encyclopedia of original and cover material doing classics interspersed with new songs off his just released album Good to Be….
And though he is known as a blues player it was so much more than that. Switching off guitars and harmonicas when the song dictated it, he wove a musical journey through out his 19 song approximately 90 minute set which was highlighted by Wasner. The rest of the setlist included “The Whole Enchilada,” “Good to Be (Home Again),” “Rita,” “Life is Beautiful,” “Oklahoma,” “Sunny and Warm,” “Old Me Better,” “Suitcase,” “Am I Wrong,” “City Boy,” “The Medicine Man,” “Anyway,” “I Remember You,” and “62 Chevy” followed by a four song encore of “Every Morning,” “Lean on Me” (Bill Wither’s cover), “Put a Woman in Charge,” and “A Better Man.”
It was magical night for everyone and to see a legend like Keb’ Mo’ and watch a true master of his craft telling stories through music with the tools of his trade on his numerous guitars and harmonicas while supplanted by his haunting vocals the way only Mo’ can do it on the simplest of platforms was a joy that everyone was left with. His songwriting is miraculous in the fact that it talks and reaches the soul of the common people. There is no doubt Mo’ accomplished both of those on that frigid Saturday night in Waterville, Maine.
Enjoy our interview with Keb’ Mo’ here: Interview: Keb’ Mo’ on Honorary Degree from Williams College, Family, Plastic, and New Album “Oklahoma”