Yesterweek’s opportune fell under a new moon at the High Noon Saloon, where Patty Griffin led the swoon of middle-aged buffoons. Immediately and throughout, she set the stage for what the night was about. “I know this is a rock club,” said Griffin’s eyes, “but this is a FOLK show.”
My buddy turned to me and said, “The absence of a drummer is hushing the rhythm to bare strings.” I gut-punched him for using such vocabulary while holding a PBR. Yet he had a point; the dual guitars begged for foot stomping. And while it got the 60-year-old lady with pig tails on my right dancing like a Mexican jumping bean, I felt the contrasting reaction fall into me as a young lady passed out. She was OK.
This was my first encounter with Patty Griffin, making me somewhat under qualified to judge her performance compared to her past shows. But after bathing in her energy and seeing its affect on the crowd, I felt like I knew her quite well. People love this woman!
Most notable was “Get Ready Marie,” a song inspired by a photo Griffin found of her grandparents. The picture portrayed her grandpa as a French-Canadian intoxicated lumberjack with lust who perfectly contrasted with her young and beautiful grandma. It was something like a “biggest mistake of my life wedding photo.” Ending with one by big-hearted Jimmy Durante left us with a cure for the winter blues (at least for the night). (Damn, it’s cold!).
Overall, the output of a stripped down, undressed sound is something rare, something daringly honest, and to my surprise, drove a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. It truly was the ultimate folk show from a seasoned performer. When or if she comes back to Madison, be sure to attend for your own good.