Joan Osborne made a rare appearance and the Bear’s Den at the Seneca Niagara Casino last Friday night to play before a near capacity crowd. I say rare because it was not a part of any tour. It was more like a dress rehearsal. Osborne played some songs for the first time, other songs from her long career and some standards that were a surprise to hear.
Accompanied by talented keyboardist, Keith Cotton, Osborne opened with “I Want to Be Loved” and “St. Theresa” which brought welcome applause from the crowd. “Hip Shake” was performed with a slow, bluesy feel that had many fans clapping and singing along.
Mentioning one of her inspirations, Bonnie Raitt, she then broke into the John Prine tune “Angel From Montgomery” with such emotion that it would have made Raitt proud. A recent tour with Mavis Staples inspired the next song “Freedom” that had a swinging gospel feel. With each song she sang, the crowd got louder with approval until the mega hit “One of Us” closed the show. Loyal fans would not let her get away without and encore so Osborne obliged with the Motown hit “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.” “You basically paid for a dress rehearsal,” she jokingly stated.
Her adoring fans applauded right after that comment and would surely remember they were part of a very special night.
Setlist
I Want to Be Loved
St Theresa
Hip Shake
Angel From Montgomery
Can’t Get Next to You – The Temptations
Freedom
Guiding Light – Foy Vance
Whiskey Blues
Brokedown Palace – Grateful Dead
Where We Start
One of Us
Encore:
What Becomes of the BrokenHearted
We would like to thank Phil Pantano from Pantano & Associates for the credentials to review the show.
