Pat McGee Band shines with passionate performance
By LAUREN BECK
Scene Music Critic
Pat McGee Band is well known for its mellow rhythms and lyrical ballads, but the band's Friday night performance was anything but sedate.
The band mesmerized their audience and set the tone for the evening after opening with a spirited, upbeat rendition of their hit "Girl from Athens," off McGee's 1995 debut acoustic album, From the Wood.
McGee, a Virginia native, formed his sextet in 1996 as a grassroots rock group. The band has since earned a place in the spotlight with their 1997 independent album Revel, General Admission, a live recording released in 1999, and most recently, Shine, their first album produced by major label Giant Records, in 2000.
Pat McGee Band has continued to develop its unique blend of classic rock, country, pop and blues, and the band certainly showcased that sound on Friday.
From the bluegrass-laden "Can't Miss What You Never Had" to the melodic love ballad "Haven't Seen in a While," Pat McGee Band proved itself versatile and innovative.
McGee looked and played like a born rock star: confident, composed, cool, but not too cocky.
He was a true crowd pleaser, throwing Oreo cookies to the crowd, offering to stick around after the show for autographs and joking with his audience. "So this is quite a venue you guys have here," McGee facetiously said of Stepan Center. His crisp, sensual lead vocals and transitions from acoustic to electric guitar fused well with John Small's bass and Brian Fechino's electric guitar for a rich sound.
It was evident the band thoroughly enjoyed playing, so it only made sense that the captive audience loved listening. They begged to hear the band's classics but responded with as much enthusiasm to their new material as well. Neither Pat McGee Band nor its fans lost their explosive energy during new, more intense and edgy songs like "You and I," "Never Around" and "What You're Missing."
But the crowd went wild during hits like "Runaway," "Lost" and the appropriately titled "Passion," driven by Chris Williams on drums and Chardy McEwan's amazing percussion.
Piano virtuoso Jonathan Williams arguably stole the show with his signature solo rendition of Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis."
The exuberant "Rebecca," extended to include fast and furious jams, inspired incredible crowd reaction. Pat McGee Band used "Rebecca" to segue into covers of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" and John Mellencamp's "Jack and Diane," giving both a more modern rock feel.
McGee returned to stage solo for an acoustic encore performance of the mellow, passionate title track from the "Shine" album.
The remainder of the band joined him to end the concert with the powerful, climactic "Hero," leaving the crowd energized and fully satisfied and confirming that Pat McGee Band has what it takes to make it big.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 23, 2002
