Osborne, Yonder Mountain make Harbor rock to summer perfection
Oh so sweet, on a gorgeous evening, to hear and feel such beautiful music. Soul, pop, country, gospel, bluegrass — if it’s all good, what difference does it make what it’s called?
On Saturday, the Erie Canal Harbor Central Wharf resounded with the sultry, sensual sound of Joan Osborne’s voice, and her wonderful band’s soulful
support. Later, the Yonder Mountain String Band would delight the assembled with its own take on bluegrass, as filtered through a jam-band sensibility.
All of it added up to an evening of inspired music, a deeply musical blend that married rather astounding musicianship to the welcoming tones of R&B and country. That the surroundings were so beautiful — the sun setting over the water, boat sails in the distance, so many smiling faces — provided a perfect setting for the artists.
Osborne kicked things off with a set that could’ve brought a tear to a marble statue’s eye. Though suffering from a bout of the flu, Osborne sang so stunningly, so viscerally, and so much with a full understanding of the history of American R&B, that it was difficult to refrain from genuflecting before her. Seriously.
Opening with “Rodeo,” and moving quickly into a “St. Teresa,” Osborne quickly pulled the crowd into her orbit, a world where each note, each hip shimmy, each baton toss to a band member was writ large, becoming an invitation to the audience to become part of the shared experience.
When Osborne, who toured as a member of the Grateful Dead, tackled that band’s “Brokedown Palace,” well, the Robert Hunter-penned lyric came to life before us. Guitarist Andrew Currilo took an extended solo during the song’s coda, and it was an inspired one, urging the crowd to respond with vigor.
Osborne, who really seemed to be digging the vibe from the crowd, gave her all to “Hallelujah,” “Pretty Little Stranger” and “Kiss & Say Goodbye,” a ’70s AM hit Osborne turned into a gospel throw-down.
The encore of the Roy Orbison tune “Blue Hour” was simply transcendent, Osborne capturing the languid, deep-blue intonation Orbison claimed as his calling card.
After all of this, the Yonder Mountain String Band was faced with an uphill climb. The band, a favorite of Buffalo audiences following two appearances as part of the Thursday at the Square series in recent years, was up to the task.
Early on, “If Loving You Is Killing Me” introduced the band’s penchant for blending virtuosic bluegrass with song-centered tendencies that clearly please the jam-band audience prone to follow the band.
“A Hundred Years From Now” proved the Yonder lads have studied the American country music songbook, and a tasty cover of the Beatles’ “Only a Northern Song” displayed the band’s tendency toward radically reworking well-known songs.
Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor took a step forward this year, upped the ante on both the bands booked and the frequency of events. Saturday’s show suggests that this was a good move. It was a wonderful night.
Concert Review
Joan Osborne and Yonder Mountain String Band
Saturday night as part of Buffalo Place Rocks the Harbor at Erie Canal Harbor Wharf.
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