Marshall Crenshaw w/James Mastro at The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA on Sunday November 9
Marshall Crenshaw brought his “40+ Years in Showbiz!” tour to The Iron Horse in Northampton, Massachusetts, playing songs from his four-decade career-spanning repertoire, as well as new material from his recently released “From The Hellhole” album.
As Crenshaw and band entered, walking through the crowd to the stage, Duane Eddy’s instrumental “Theme for Moon Children” played over the PA. Crenshaw’s guitar apparently needed a bit more tuning, and once he was satisfied, he exclaimed, “All right – good evening, everybody.” The crowd cheered and the band launched into their opening track “Fantastic Planet of Love.” For the night’s performance, Crenshaw mainly used two Gretch guitars: a red Billy-Bo Jupiter Thunderbird and a dark brown Sparkle Jet. When he needed to change guitars, a stage hand came up to assist him while Alan Hawkshaw’s “Girl in a Sportscar” played in the background, Crenshaw jesting it was his “guitar changing music.” He repeated this bit after a string of upbeat songs that included: “Crying, Waiting, Hoping” (his Buddy Holly cover from the La Bamba soundtrack), the groovy “Move Now” (from his new album), a lengthy jam of “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream” (joined by opener James Mastro, who played a spirited harmonica solo), and “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time,” with Crenshaw playing an impressive guitar solo to end the number to a round of applause. A slower version of “There She Goes Again” (which could easily pass for an Elvis Costello song) followed before he kicked things back into gear.
His talented backing band brought new energy to his songs throughout the night’s performance, with rhythm section Derrick Anderson (bass/vocals) and Mark Ortmann (drums) holding down a solid foundation, while Fernando Perdomo (guitar/vocals), played some fiery lead guitar on his red Gibson SG with blazing bravado, even losing his hat at one point during a frenzied solo to “Will of the Wind.” After a lively version of Crenshaw’s catchy crowd-pleasing hit “Someday Someway” (with bass player Anderson getting the crowd to clap along with the “Gene Vincent handclaps”), he ended the night with another fan favorite “Mary Anne,” leaving the stage only briefly before being called back by the enthusiastic patrons. Someone in the crowd yelled out “Happy Birthday!” to which guitarist Perdomo replied, “You’re two days early!” Crenshaw added, “Yes, I am going to be 72 in a few days, my wife and I say we should just tell people we’re eighty, so they will be impressed with how well we look.” They ended the night with two rockers: “2541” (a song by Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart) and “Monday Morning Rock.” For a 72-year-old (I am writing this on his actual birthday, November 11), Crenshaw’s voice sounded surprisingly as vibrant and youthful as ever, and he proved that he still perform a dynamic hour-and-forty-five minute show with great earnestness, exuberance, and energy. More information at: https://marshallcrenshaw.com/home Enjoy our previous coverage here (setlist below): REVIEW: Marshall Crenshaw “From ‘The Hellhole’”
The impeccably dressed and personable James Mastro opened the show with a seven-song half-hour acoustic set (with a few added foot pedal augmentations). After his first song “The Man Who Married the Moon,” he tuned his guitar, drawing a chuckle from the crowd when he deadpanned, “This is part of the song.” He bantered with the audience, telling background stories to songs and making light-hearted commentary. Prior to playing “My God,” he explained that some people “did not like” this next song because it “upset them.” Receiving approval afterward, he said he was glad he was playing to a more open-minded group of people. “I haven’t played this one before, so it could go really bad,” he warned before performing “Face of the Sun.” When he finished the song without a hitch, the crowd cheered, only to have Mastro humbly confess, “Well, there was supposed to be a harmonica solo, but I forgot to adjust this thing” (motioning to the harmonica holder apparatus around his neck). He told some humorous anecdotes, one about meeting a hitchhiking clown in Hoboken, New Jersey who was “running away from the circus” (which inspired him to write “Find My Way Down”), and another about going to a party in Athens, Georgia with friends and asking them to introduce him as “Dr. Lady,” which produced some interesting results. At the end of his set, he announced he had one more song, adding wryly, “Thank you for not throwing anything,” then closed with “River Runs Forever” (which he remembered to include a great harmonica solo). More information at: https://www.jamesmastro.net/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: James Mastro “Someday Someone Will Turn Your Head Around”
MARSHALL CRENSHAW SETLIST:
Fantastic Planet of Love
Driving and Dreaming
Blues is King
Crying, Waiting, Hoping (Buddy Holly cover)
Passing Through
Move Now
Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream (Bob Dylan cover)
You’re My Favorite Waste of Time
There She Goes Again
Live and Learn
Dime a Dozen Guy
Will of the Wind
This is Easy
I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)
Someday Someway
Mary Anne
ENCORES:
2541 (Grant Hart cover)
Monday Morning Rock
JAMES MASTRO SETLIST:
The Man Who Married the Moon
Here Beside Me
My God
The Face of the Sky
Find My Way Down
Right Words, Wrong Song
River Runs Forever