Concert Review Number 12: Peter Case at The Focal Point: November 9, 2007

But the Focal Point... it has been there for a long time. it has a strong KDHX bohemian feel to it and is connected through a door or two to the bathrooms and bar of the Maya Cafe which provide a place to get a drink for the show. It is a cool little space with hard wood floors, movable uncomfortable theatre seats and folding chairs in rows like church. It looks like it seats about 125 comfortably and for old people who like to sit and see an artist it veers towards ideal. Just hip enough and no real lack of comfort and certainly no element of fear. Perfectly insulated for the aging rocker or folk.

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And this show was full of that genre of music fan. At 46 your diner reviewer was in the “young” part of the crowd. It was a crowd like I had never seen at a music event. Even the recent upscale Dylan event at the Fox didn’t have such a consistent element of older men and woman, struggling and posing (this is probably unkind and unfair) to be “individuals” and a room full of middle aged and late midlife “individuals” allowed a sameness that could only be described as sad. Gray pony tails and beards seem required and the women... the women all had their hair colored or dyed or whatever you call it varying unnatural shades which in the dim light you had to wonder whether the color was intentional or just the result of a bad dye job. We all looked old and more then a little tired even under dim lights but along with all that there is a sweetness to seeing that there are at least some people my age who still view going to see a show as something cool to celebrate.

So enough about that. Peter case (his new CD reviewed earlier in the year in this space) hits town on a semi-annual basis. Normally in the last few visits he could be caught at the dreaded and sometimes celebrated venue “Off Broadway” but tonight he was playing for 15 bucks a head to about 125 people at the Focal Point. No one opened for him and he came on a few minutes late at about 8:10. beatle Bob was firmly ensconced at front stage left and i knew he would have a hard time dancing tonight as did he. We got into a spirited discussion about how great it was to go see a show on Friday at 8:00. He was excited because he could catch another show after-words and I was excited because i could go home and go to bed. Bob had just been to the Americana Music Awards in Nashville and was regaling me with tails of Joe Ely, Jim Lauderdale and the Ryman Auditorium.

I have seen Case at least 7 times over the years and he has always been an endearing, engaging entertainer. He has loved a life consciously modeled on Kerouac and old delta blues players and Woody Guthrie. the mix is sometimes compelling but almost always engaging because he is so passionate and seems to just be a nice guy who writes some very serious songs and has a great heart. He gained some notoriety as a rocker with the 80’s band The Plimsouls (see the movie “Valley Girl” as they are the rockers in the dangerous club Nicolas Cage takes his girlfriend). the Plimsouls had two or three great songs and then petered out in a boring story of alcohol and drug abuse and likely lack of talent but case soldiered on and in the last 20 years has put out a dozen CD’s with some of the best song-writing any American folkie has accomplished. Seriously, it is a great body of work.

Tonight it looked like Case had gained a few (being generous) pounds and even in his bulky shirt, ill fitting sport coat, hat, beard and glasses looked a little chunky. Generally I like my folkies rail (hobo) thin but I will allow a few pounds for someone good. And he is good.

The set list was at follows:
Put Down the Gun
Every 24 Hours
Million Dollars Bail
Driving Wheel
Everywhere I go
Aint Gonna Worry No More
A Reading from his book “As Far As You Can Get Without A Passport”
Crooked Mile
Break
Hidden Love
Bumble Bee (Honey bear Edwards)
You Better Move Fast (Newer Plimsouls song)
Lost In The Sky
Coulda Shoulda Woulda
Freedy Johnston Story
Cold trail Blues
Waterfall (Hendrix Song)
Whiter Shade of Pale (Procol Harum)
Underneath The Stars
Dark Deep Underground
Waiting For The Firelight

The set list shows the diversity of the body of work but without a band he relies almost exclusively on his blues guitar sometimes lapsing into what he calls celtabilly (pronounced keltabilly) which sounds a lot like Richard Thompson. Case played hard for the whole show telling funny stories most related to traveling the country young scared and stupid and some related to the people he toured with. He did not tear it up on guitar but he is an exceptional white blue man and his voice has lost a lot of it’s sustain and upper range making some of his prettiest songs (Turning Blue) impossible.
Still his material and his well selected covers made for a great night at a good venue. For those of you who have not done so, check out a Peter Case show and check out the Focal Point. It looks like it is developing the history of a local treasure.