On an unseasonably warm March night in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Uncle Kracker’s Hometown Tour made a stop at The Rapids Theatre this past Friday. After getting a late start, because of taking his time with his fans in the meet and greet, Matt Shafer played past curfew to deliver the show in it’s entirety. The lengthy setlist covered every aspect of his 12 year solo career.
Getting the fans involved seems to be a purpose of Uncle Kracker’s shows, as Shafer encouraged everyone to sing along from the onset. His cover of Kenny Rogers’ “Gambler” was a perfect example, taking turns with the crowd starting and finishing lyrics to the song.
Shafer seems to have a lot of fun with his music, addend lyrics from AC/DC’s “Shook Me All Night Long” in with his 2000 hit “Follow Me.” It was very well done, and the two songs seemed to fit seamlessly with each other. Shafer also did a great job with his cover of Jim Croce’s “Leroy Brown.” I actually closed my eyes and envisioned the old video footage of Croce sitting on a barstool while Shafer was singing.
Closing the night with his 2009 hit “Smile,” everyone in attendance sang every word. Shafer then left the stage after thanking the crowd while the band played him off.
Even though it was a warm night and the AC wasn’t on yet (It’s still technically winter here in Upstate NY ), it didn’t stop Uncle Kracker from delivering a crowd pleasing performance. Shafer has a smooth voice that covers a wide variety of music, and with his energy and showmanship, there is a little something for everyone at an Uncle Kracker show.
Setlist:
Four Letter Word
I Do
It’s Good To Be Me
Better Days
In A Little While
Blue Skies
Sun Goes Down
My Girlfriend
Letters To My Daughters
Gambler (Kenny Rogers cover)
Follow Me
Leroy Brown (Jim Croce cover)
Hometown
In Between Disasters
Saturday Night
Drift Away (Dobie Gray cover)
All Summer
Encores:
Sunspot Baby
Smile
We would like to thank Ross Catalino from Back to Back Entertainment for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the show.
