JD McPherson at Leinie Lodge Bandshell, Minnesota State Fair (01 Sept 2017)
Setlist
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“Oh… I think I ate too many caramel apples!”
Oklahoma native JD McPherson stopped by the Leinie Lodge Bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair for a two-day/two-sets-per-day mini-residency, and we caught the first of his four scheduled shows.
The retro sounding McPherson, who draws his sounds from a mix of rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and rockabilly is out in early support of his upcoming album, Undivided Heart and Soul (New West Records) due out October 6, and gave the crowded bandshell a preview of the new tracks, as well as played some old favorites.
With his regular band in tow (Jimmy Sutton -upright bass; Jason Smay –drums; Ray Jacildo –keys; Doug Corcoran-sax, guitar, keys). McPherson soon had the front of the stage filled with bobbing heads and clapping hands, and the edges swaying with swing dancers on the extreme right and left, up front.
Opening with 2014’s ‘Bossy’, the set moved quicker into rockabilly (and more all-ages) with ‘Crazy Horse’, a song written for the Netflix Mr. Peabody and Sherman animated series, with bassist Sutton and Jacildo on the keys, shining early to the fans’ delight. “…I wasn’t kidding about those caramel apples”, he said, gently strumming the intro to his feather light cover of a 2007 Nick Lowe song.
Following the howls of ‘You Must Have Met Little Caroline’, the set went more rockabilly again with a bass-plucking ‘Mother of Lies’, featuring some exemplary sax from Corcoran. A couple of the new album’s songs were next- the album opener, ‘Desperate Love’, a mid-tempo number that chugs like a train through a dark tunnel, and ‘On the Lips’, a smoldering song that takes a jangly ‘60s guitar riff and re-invents things from there.
The slower ‘Country Boy’ led into the swing-ready ‘North Side Gal’, which closed the short forty-minute set, with McPherson skipping the planned encore of ‘Scratching Circles’, local radio hit ‘Fire Bug’, and even the lead single from the upcoming album, ‘Lucky Penny’.
Maybe he was just conserving his strength for the shows ahead, hoping the crowd would return later in the day for his second show, or maybe it was those caramel apples. McPherson plays two shows again today as well as makes a stop at the MPR/89.3 Current booth, before continuing his tour on.
With his local following already growing and no doubt, boosted further by this four-show stand, expect JD McPherson and the band to return soon on a future tour leg, after the album is released.
Tour dates:
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09/02/2017 Minnesota State Fair
09/03/2017 Copper Mountain, CO The Villages 09/07/2017 Madison, WI Central Park 09/08/2017 Kalamazoo, MI Bell’s Eccentric Cafe 09/09/2017 Akron, OH University Of Akron 09/14/2017 Americana Music Festival 09/14/2017 Nashville, TN Little Harpeth Brewing 09/22/2017 Tahlequah, OK Diamondhead Resort 09/23/2017 Helotes, TX Floore’s Country Store 09/28/2017 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads 09/30/2017 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre 10/01/2017 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater 10/02/2017 Salt Lake City, UT The State Room |
10/04/2017 Seattle, WA Neumos
10/05/2017 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 10/07/2017 Saratoga, CA The Mountain Winery 10/08/2017 San Francisco, CA Independent 10/11/2017 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 10/12/2017 Pioneertown, CA Pappy And Harriet’s 10/13/2017 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory 10/14/2017 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theater 10/15/2017 Phoenix, AZ The Crescent Ballroom 10/18/2017 Dallas, TX The Kessler Theater 10/19/2017 Austin, TX Scoot Inn 11/05/2017 Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live 11/10/2017 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace 11/11/2017 Buffalo, NY The Tralf Music Hall |
