Another gem of a show graced the stage at the Riviera Theatre this past Monday night. Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers played to a sold-out house. This was a makeup show as he & the band had to postpone the original show date that was scheduled for July 8. To take care of his dedicated fan base, Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers gave out free ‘Spirit Trails 25th Anniversary’ CDs to anyone who bought a ticket. That was a nice gesture from the band. This was my first time taking in Bruce Hornsby in any configuration, so I was curious to see what he was going to deliver.
Before the show started, people went up to stage right and placed written requests for the band to play. The entire set was played by feel as there was no traditional setlist to work from. The band played an hour and 55- minute show. The Noisemakers consist of Chad Wright on drums, J.V. Collier on bass, J.T. Thomas on keyboards and organ, John Mallinder on violin and mandolin and Gibb Droll on guitars. They started off the the first handful of songs with Hornsby playing a dulcimer and his drummer playing a washboard and spoons. Yes, this was the kind of show it was going to be with the songs being played in different arrangements. It was appropriate that they started off with “M.I.A. in Miami.” Hornsby said the first line in the song says, “I got tired of waxing cars in Tonawanda,” so he felt it was the only way to start off the set being the area they were performing in. A completely different version of the hit “Mandolin Rain” was played next. I almost missed it as I thought the vocal mix was a tad low. So, for me it was hard to hear the vocals at times throughout the show. A few songs later Hornsby started to rummage through the requests and heard people shouting songs. He encouraged the banter as verbal requests flooded the set the rest of the night. Some of the requested songs were “Sticks and Stones” and “Genesee Ted” which turned into true crowd pleasers. Being the casual fan, I was happy to hear “The Way It Is” in its natural state. The band is full of seasoned pros and are conducted by Hornsby’s quick finger and head gestures. Hornsby dusted off the accordion for the last part of the set. Obviously, the set focused on “Spirit Trails” as the band was celebrating its 25th anniversary.
With Hornsby’s time in the Grateful Dead, you can see where he gets his influences of improvisation from. The crowd truly loved this and hung on every note the band dished out throughout the entire performance. Fans I spoke to before the show have seen him numerous times. So, I’m sure I was in the minority of taken in my first show with Hornsby. To me, I was just happy to see Hornsby and his band play in such an intimate setting.
Setlist:
We would like to thank Kevin Monty from Red Light Management for the credentials to review the show.
