A mellow, melodic air permeated Eisenhower Auditorium Friday night when singer/songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Dar Williams took the stage.
The musical quartet united to kick off their 26-date acoustic tour. As far as icebreakers go, Friday night ran smoothly, but not flawlessly. There were slipped fingers during guitar solos, a few forgotten lyrics, lengthy tuning sessions and confessions of nervousness from the artists who generally play smaller, folksier venues than the auditorium, which easily fits an audience of 2,500.
But none of those mishaps detracted from the affable, laid-back vibe of the musicians' gentle acoustic folk and dulcet vocal harmonies. The four jean-clad women sat like pretty maids all in a row on stage, delivering harmonies, tender guitar tunes and witty anecdotes.
The allotted time span permitted the round to work its way though five times, including the encore, so each folkster performed just a few of her own songs, which would be disappointing if one had bought a ticket based solely on an all-consuming zeal for one musician, but worked out favorably for those of us with a little bit o' love for each performer. Almost more compelling than the music, though, was Friday night's banter. Listening to these four women converse, commiserate and butt in on one another's stories reminded me of The View, if it were overrun by some women way cooler than even Barbara Walters. Each artist played her role to perfection: There was "The Young Ditz" Patty Griffin, "The Self-Depreciating Comedian" Mary Chapin Carpenter, "The Matriarch" Shawn Colvin, and Dar, well, Dar Williams, who, despite several musical blunders at Friday's concert, defies both a stereotype and a teasing moniker Ã~ though I'm absurdly biased, as Williams has been one of my musical saviors for the past six years. Williams was her breathy, endearing self, mostly performing songs from her new album The Beauty of Rain but also providing a poignant, reflective rendition of gender transgression anthem "When I Was a Boy."
As for Patty Griffin: this is one talented musician! My concert buddy deemed Griffin's chord progressions and twangy vocals "too country," but as a girl with a recent alt-country addiction, I found Griffin's tunes austerely gentle and her fragile-but-brawny vocals rang like a long-awaited dinner bell.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, who shared two songs from her upcoming album, split her time between playing a comedian, a moderator and a musician. Carpenter's music has always been a little too mature, a little too lyrically plain for my tastes, but she played up to the audience with her wry commentary on everything from the late Johnny Cash to performing at a sheep-dressing contest.
Shawn Colvin, who made a splash during the Lilith Fair craze with "Sunny Came Home," proved she's around for a reason Ã~ she has mad guitar skills. More than the other three, Colvin illustrated enviable talent, finger picking like a gentle fiend to create effortlessly complex melodies.
The three hours of original folk was a treat in this town with an anemic original music scene, but the highlight of the evening, embarrassingly enough, was the quartet's cover of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way." The cover, though taken and given with a grain of salt, was just as chill and harmonious as the rest of the evening, which offered up the artistry of four folk luminaries and the intimately cozy vibe of a girls' night out.
