Roger McGuinn in Davis Last Night

[junglejem]

Saw Roger McGuinn's solo concert at the beautiful Mondavi Center in Davis, California last night. This was his first show since breaking his wrist last December, and it was wonderful. The place was packed.

He came out with the Rick 370/12 and opened with "Mr. Tambourine Man", then sat down among his Rick, a banjo, a Martin 12 string acoustic and the Martin 7 string he helped develop. His voice was excellent throughout the 90 minute performance (yes, it could have been longer, but hey...he's doing it alone). He looked great, and his playing was excellent. He is a great storyteller, very easy to listen to, very entertaining.

I was a little disappointed that he played "Bells of Rhymney" (one of my favorite Byrd tunes) on the acoustic 7 string rather than either of the 12 strings. But it worked, and sounded great. On the Rick 12, he played "Mr. Tambourine Man", "Mr. Spaceman", "So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star", "Turn, Turn, Turn ," and "My Back Pages." A nice assortment.

Oddly enough, he played only one song, "On Easter Morn He Rose" on the acoustic 12 string. I could have heard a bunch more, as that Martin 12 string sounds gorgeous. Maybe 3 tunes on the banjo. The lion's share of songs were played on the 7 string. Whether this is typical, or might have something to do with his wrist fracture, who knows?

I'm so glad I got the chance to see this piece of Rock & Roll (and music in general) history. This is not a "dinosaurs of rock" act that should have retired decades ago (we can all think of some of those). McGuinn is the real thing, and I would highly recommend seeing him if you get the opportunity.

[beefandbones]

Thanks for the report! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the show - I have tickets to see him next week!

[jimk]

I'll second the thanks for the review. I only hope that he can come to Kansas City sometime.

JimK

[firstbassman]

I’ve seen Roger four times in the last three years and the instrument selection you describe is pretty typical. Byrds hits with a distinctive RIC12 hook (TMan. Feel Whole Lot Better, etc.) are always played on the 370. A few other songs are played on the acoustic 12. And the rest are played on the seven-string.

[JakeK]

I'm glad to hear McGuinn will never retire the 370! Has there ever been a show where he HASN'T played it?

[byrddog]

I'll second the thanks for the review. I only hope that he can come to Kansas City sometime.

JimK

Jim,
I wonder if he could fill up the Sprint Center The last time he was here (that I know of) was around 2003 ..touring with Judy Colins...at the Starlight. It was good but I would like to see Roger in a solo performance.

Ron

[junglejem]

Just thought I'd add another comment. At the RM concert I purchased an autographed copy of "Live in Spain." Having finally had the opportunity to listen to it all the way through, I can say unequivocally that he sounds considerably better in person than what you hear on the live CD. I was very disappointed in the sound of the live CD; almost embarrassing mix. I'm somewhat surprised he would even release that CD sounding like that. Indeed, had I heard the live CD first, I would have thought twice about travelling to Davis to see him in person. Fortunately that's not the way it worked, because the concert was fantastic, the acoustics in the Mondavi Center are perfect, and the mix was spot on.