Stan Ridgeway - 6/14/06

(Originally Published on 6/15/2006)

I went to Stan Ridgeway’s concert last night not really knowing what to expect.  It had been some time since I seen him live and I also really only listen to “The Big Heat” and “Mosquito”.

I was quite pleasantly surprised by last night performance.  From the opening chords of  Police Call to the final note in Call of the West Stan took me on a musical journey into his life and unique observations of it.  Every song tells a story. 

 I’m happy to report his incredible story telling and that unmistakable voice is alive and well.  He engaged the audience for the very beginning; bring out a “Costco type” vegetable tray that was supplied to him.  “We really can’t eat this all, so lets pass this around the house” he said.  At one point during the concert he noticed the tray had stalled and he admonished that table telling us to treat the vegetables and dip like “a beach ball at a sporting event”. 

 This kind of quirky, warm banter went on all night.  He kept referring to the mystical powers of the vegetable dip.  At one point in the concert, Stan realized he needed some echo.  He asked the sound-man for “A little echo, make it sound like we dug up Elvis and hit his skull”.  He stopped the performance of “The Big Heat” mid way through and said “We Fed that up, I’m going to start again.  After starting again, he says “Ah f___, I’m just not in the mood to play that one, you’ve all heard enough of that, right?”

Here is the set list:

Police Call
Lonely Town
The Roadblock
Mr. Smith
Big Dumb Town
Monsters of the Id
God Sleeps in a Caboose
The Big Heat
Camouflage
Goin’ on down to the Barbeque
Drive She Said
Ring of Fire

encore (“We really don’t need to walk all the way back to the dressing room do we?”)

Factory
Mexican Radio
Call of the West

I highly recommend re-engaging Stan Ridgeway.  This $12.00 concert was well worth it.  He sounds great and his music is timeless.