Jim Messina and the Road Runners at Cohoes Music Hall on Sunday November 16 2025
Jim Messina and his extraordinary backing band, the Road Runners, played a two-hour show in two sets on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at the Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes, New York, that included a Poco tune and some of Messina’s solo material, but mainly pulled heavily from his Loggins & Messina catalogue. Messina’s impressive stylistic guitar playing was on full display during the night, and he appeared at ease, confident, and conversational on stage, humorously bantering with the audience, telling anecdotes, and encouraging those assembled to clap and sing along.
Before the house lights were even dimmed, an official voice came over the PA, instructing, “Ladies and Gentleman, from Nashville, Tennessee, please welcome – Jim Messina!” The band took their places, cheered in by the lively crowd. Messina entered last, picking up his acoustic guitar, and just as the murmur of the applause waned, a patron in the balcony yelled out a boisterous, “Jimmy!” setting in motion the feel-good vibe of the night. Messina smiled and waved, “Everybody doing okay? Let’s start you off with some songs that you know” and then added humbly, “I hope I know them, too.” Messina knew what people were there to hear, and frontloaded the night’s first half of his opening set with a string of Loggins & Messina songs that included “Thinking of You,” “Watching the River Run,” and “House at Pooh Corner,” which the crowd sang along with, spurring Messina to announce with glee at the song’s end, “You remembered the words!” He continued with some lighthearted banter about aging, and how “Back in the day, we used to live to take the right drugs, now we have to take the right drugs to live.” Then further jested, “In full disclosure, I have had some Lipo done,” then moved his guitar to the side and rubbed his protruding belly to amused laughter.
He confessed, “I do occasionally forget lyrics, even after playing these songs so many times over the years” before beginning “Danny’s Song,” letting the audience sing the first round of refrain. He switched to his electric guitar for the second half of the set, and when he mentioned that “Country artists Brooks & Dunn had covered this next song fifteen years ago in the 90s,” his keyboardist sauntered over and had to correct his math. “Apparently is was thirty-five years ago,” he conceded before they performed “Mexican Minutes.” Poco’s “You Better Think Twice” followed, and he ended the set with more Loggins & Messina material: “Listen to a Country Song” (which segued into “Holiday Hotel”) and “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” before intermission, leaving everyone in a jubilant mood.
Messina has assembled a phenomenal backing band of talented musicians that he showcased during the second set. They were exceptionally well rehearsed, playing with impeccable precision, prowess, and passion. Ben King (bass, backing vocals) and Jack Bruno (drums) held down a solid foundation all night, and even took a few solo moments when coerced by Messina. Keyboardist and backing vocalist Jim Frazier was a force to be reckoned with on stage left, singing tight harmonies with Messina and playing piano, B3, and organ with great dexterity and musicianship. If that wasn’t enough, multi-instrumentalist and consummate showman Steve Nieves not only provided backing vocals, but also played saxophone, flute, whistle, tambourine, bongos, and an array of percussion instruments (including a squeaky pig at one point) with great flash and flare. He was indeed a joy to watch, and brought the joy with a number of energetic saxophone solos he performed at the edge of the stage, periodically letting loose with some excited utterances and outbursts – “Yeah!” “Eeyaa!” “Whoa!” – at various times when the spirit hit him. The venue’s soundman had done such an amazing job during their soundcheck, that you could clearly hear Bruno’s steady, rhythmic, or subtle hi-hat hits, as well as each and every percussion accent that Nieves added to the songs. The band members musical cohesion was simply mind-blowing as they artfully handled the dynamics, musical inflections, and intricate changes of the latter Loggins & Messina songs, not only performing faithful renditions, but also breathing new life into them and creating cinematic musical dreamscapes on the “Trilogy: Lovin’ Me / To Make a Woman Feel Wanted / Peace of Mind” medley, and “Be Free” (a deep cut that ended with Messina playing an ethereal guitar outro that is still swirling around the ether of Cohoes). While those congregated were still entranced, King and Bruno set up a steady groove, Messina got everyone clapping along, and the band laid into an all-out jam of “Angry Eyes,” that featured a solo from each player. When they ended the song and walked off stage, but there was no doubt they would come back, as the crowd continued to cheer, call out, and applaud so loudly, wanting more. When they returned, a patron (possibly the same guy) hollered out, “Thank you, Jimmy!” to bookend the night. Bruno set up a pulsing beat while Messina soloed for a few measures before the band launched into “You Need a Man” as their encore.
Messina thanked everyone, and mentioned that he no longer does the usual meet-and-greets due to getting sick so often afterward, but assured everyone that he would be back for a Q & A afterward once he had a change of clothes. A small group hung around, waiting patiently until Messina returned to center stage, this time sitting down, as he confessed his legs were killing him after standing for two hours straight. Messina took questions and compliments from patrons (who were all thoroughly impressed and awe-struck by the night’s performance). He provided background information about his music influences, explained the inspiration for a few of his songs, told stories of working with Neil Young in the Buffalo Springfield, meeting David Crosby for the first time (“I didn’t know who he was at the time. I was wondering if he was related to Bing Crosby, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask him”), and playing on a session with Joni Mitchell. He spent another 45 minutes with the rapt crowd before he finally took his exit. Those who attended certainly got their money’s worth at this show. More information at: https://www.jimmessina.com/
SETLIST:
Set 1:
Thinking of You (Loggins & Messina)
Watching the River Run (Loggins & Messina)
House at Pooh Corner (Loggins & Messina)
Danny’s Song (Loggins & Messina song)
Mexican Minutes
You Better Think Twice (Poco)
Listen to a Country Song/Holiday Hotel (Loggins & Messina)
Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins & Messina)
Set 2:
New and Different Way
Lovin’ You Every Minute
Trilogy: Lovin’ Me / To Make a Woman Feel Wanted / Peace of Mind (Loggins & Messina)
Be Free (Loggins & Messina)
Angry Eyes (Loggins & Messina)
ENCORE:
You Need a Man (Loggins & Messina)