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Don't let the fact so much time has elapsed between this show's actually taking place and a page commemorating it finally appearing as in any way a negative comment with regard to the show itself. On the contrary, I think the (very large!) Crossroads crowd in attendance was treated to a very special Brian Fitzpatrick set -- one filled with some pretty aggressive rock-n-roll, for "a nice boy with an acoustic guitar", as Ed Fritz jokingly dubbed him at one point during the evening -- including arguably the best live performance of "Drunk In Vegas" I've heard to date. It was a memorable night that included old favorites, material from the latest release, and a couple great new tunes that provided a glimpse into what the next Brian Fitzpatrick disc just might contain. It was a night of great songwriting, masterful musicianship and the passion of three true artists joining forces as one. It was a night not to be missed -- and one I can tell you with absolute certainly I'm exceedingly grateful to have experienced! Brian Fitzpatrick Of course, what's not to love about a set that starts off with one of my all-time favorite songs, "Forgotten Sounds"... "In my darkest night, when cold fear it gripped my
soul,
...which was followed by "Stuck In Boston", for accompaniment on which Brian announced that he'd like to invite to the stage "a couple common criminals I picked up along my way". Hey, whatever their backgrounds, I can't imagine two more capable "partners in crime" for the particular "job" at hand...that being the keyboard and mandolin duties performed by Ed Fritz and Matty Z, respectively...
"Tonight I'm stuck in Boston...
And you're somewhere
All I want is to be with you,
Offering a bit more tongue-in-cheek humor, Brian next told the audience he had a couple CD's out, and that the latest is called Further Down The Line, adding the song he was about to share is on it. "It's a song called...'Further Down The Line'". Gee, imagine that!
"I was halfway up my jaunty hill,
Revisiting his 2002 release, State of Grace, for his next selection, Brian and his comrades favored the crowd with "Cross That Line"...
"Close the gate,
I'll be the one that
On that lonely landscape
...followed by a song on both State of Grace and FDTL, "Sweet Maria"...
"When I feel cold and I've Her image, it just robs
Next came the beautiful "Far From Thee"...and if you've read many of these review pages about Brian Fitzpatrick shows I've attended in recent years, you already know this is another of my greatest faves...
"Somewhere down on
I swear, one day I may return..."
The wonderful surprise of two brand new songs followed...the first about a fellow songwriter friend of Brian's who, he noted, struggles a bit with confidence. Having heard her perform myself once, however, I can personally attest that any lack of this is utterly unfounded -- a point reiterated by Brian in "Carrie With A Broken Heart"...
"I
get onstage, I know I ain't got
nothin'
...after which came a darker and more lyrically intricate tale, exploring questions and reasons as to why one's "Bound To Fall"...
"The freaks spray paint Of an old abandoned
Speaking tortured tales Oh, I'm bound to fall..."
...and then the amazing performance noted in the preface -- a song one might call proof that some gambles really do pay off -- like the risky artistic one that resulted in the very real musical prize of "Drunk In Vegas"...
"The machine it was a loser... But I kept pulling the lever...
Thought if I won once... I might keep winning forever...
I'll lay my money down on the I'm drunk in Vegas, and you
Dialing things back a bit, the trio returned to the much more "soberly" contemplative, "Thinking"... "I heard myself singing a song that sounded right,
...after which it was time for the audience to soberly contemplate the sad news that the next song would be the evening's last. Ending on a truly high note, however, Brian announced that the final tune would be "a song I wrote for my greatest hero in the world -- my dad." -- an admirable sentiment...and one clearly not to be construed as "Incidental"...
"I
went out looking
Maybe find some
"Maybe find something
"I walked into a dusty room
Like a flower set in bloom,
Thus, the wheels were set in motion for another amazing Brian Fitzpatrick show to indeed conclude. That said, I'm sure I'm not the only person with whom it continues to resonate as a wonderful memory of great live, original music, and I'm sure as well that it proved an experience which inspired the many newcomers in attendance to seek out future Fitzpatrick shows. And, on that note I'll conclude as well, adding only...
...thanks much, Brian, Ed and Matty! And, of course... See you next time!!!
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