'Starry Night' is a garden delight at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens
Come for the music, stay for the food.
If Starry Night in the Garden, Star 102.5’s annual fundraiser for the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens, doesn’t have a slogan already, that should be it. Though singer-songwriters Matt Nathanson and Mat Kearney and alt-rockers SafetySuit headlined this year’s event, the food — and let’s not forget wine—was what kept the crowd in good spirits.
On perhaps the most gorgeous night of the summer so far, Western New Yorkers came out in droves, toting lawn chairs. Unfortunately for openers SafetySuit, though, the abundant refreshments kept the owners of those chairs from sitting in them for much of the evening.
Vendors ranging from Hard Rock Cafe to local spots like Capelli’s Pizzeria and wineries from the Niagara Wine Trail boasted lines so long that it was no wonder cheers for SafetySuit were weak.
The band took their relative lack of an audience in stride, making self-deprecating jokes as they played a short set including hits “Someone Like You” and “Stay,” and fan favorite “Annie.”
By the time Mat Kearney arrived, more of the audience had stopped chowing down long enough to sing along with mellow hits like “Nothing Left to Lose” and — as featured on “Grey’s Anatomy” — “Breathe In, Breathe Out.”
Kearney also added a lengthy Buffalo-specific riff to one of his songs, drawing cheers from the crowd.
At about 8:15, Matt Nathanson, the biggest name on the bill, took the stage.
Nathanson’s additional stage experience was apparent. He knew not only how to keep a crowd happy, but how to keep them laughing.
After claiming that his song, “Princess,” was a rip-off of well-known “Jessie’s Girl,” Nathanson proceeded to sing “Jessie’s Girl” in its entirety. It was a good move — even those who had never heard of Matt Nathanson knew the words to Rick Springfield’s ’80s hit.
But Nathanson didn’t forget to squeeze in sound performances of some of his most popular songs, including “Car Crash” and “Falling Apart.”
Luckily for the Botanical Gardens — and unlike show-stopper “Jessie’s Girl” — Starry Night is no one-hit wonder.
Concert Review
Starry Night in the Garden
Featuring Matt Nathanson, Mat Kearney and SafetySuit on Wednesday night at the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens.
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