So I saw Poco last Friday night.......Who?

[Hyfi]

So I saw Poco last Friday night.......Who?

That's right, Poco, a band that started in the late 60s morphing out of Buffalo Springfield.

I can't say I was ever really a Poco fan, or country folk rock but I usually support our local New Hope - Lambertville Winterfest as long as the band is half decent. Some here may remember my past reviews of the Winterfest performers that included John Sebastian, Annie Haslam, Al Stewart, Richie Havens and many more.

The venue is one of the best acoustically sound auditoriums I have ever been to. Yep, a High School auditorium that was built for optimal sound. The cieling is constructed of tunable 4x8 panels that are normally in an S curve like half of the side of a Cello and can be moved as needed. The side walls are in 3 sections with the front and back 3rds angled while the middle section is set in a foot. Seating is then angled as usual from front to back leaving no place for reflections or standing waves. The only other venue I have been to like this is the mega million dollar Kimmel Center in Philly.

The crazy thing about this year's Winterfest is that the kickoff event, the tapping of the keg at Triumph Micro Brewery, was cancelled due SNOW!
We have had several warm or rainy years here on the east coast but this year we are getting killed with snow and today/tomorrow ice. Parking for the concert was tough too with all the piles of snow there is no place to put.

So the show opened with a local singer/songwriter, Gregg Cagno who was really good. Funny, energetic, great stage personality and very nice singing and playing. His music has been featured many places including NPRs Car Talk, one funny show. He played for about 20 minutes and for once, I wanted the opening act to be longer.

http://www.greggcagno.com/

After a 15 minute intermission, Poco came out. There was only the one founding member from 1968, Rusty Young, along with the bassist of 26 years with the band, The running joke is that the Eagles kept stealing the bass players from Poco. The lineup was as follows:
* Rusty Young – pedal steel guitar, banjo, Dobro, guitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
* Jack Sundrud – bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
* George Lawrence – drums and percussion
* Michael Webb – keyboards, B3, accordion, mandolin, vocals

The show was a sellout and there were many Poconuts in the audience. They played a good hour and a half including old hits like Crazy Love and Little Bit of Magic as well as newer stuff and tunes by each of the bass player and keyboardist.

Rusty Young plays some of the greatest slide today and over the last 40 years. Most of the time he played a normal electric guitar and also one laying down on a stand for slide. He used 3 different guitars for the slide as well as a pedal steel, mandolin and acoustic. The first video on the following page is a nice example of his slide work.

http://www.poconut.org/

All in all. another great show to kick off this year's Winterfest and I'm glad I went.

[MasterCylinder]

I still have a Quadraphonic phono version of CRAZY EYES (1973).
Pretty good stuff...............it has a "progressive country" feel to it...........however, the best song on this album (MAGNOLIA) was written by someone else (J J Cale).

[Hyfi]

I still have a Quadraphonic phono version of CRAZY EYES (1973).
Pretty good stuff...............it has a "progressive country" feel to it...........however, the best song on this album (MAGNOLIA) was written by someone else (J J Cale).

I just knew you would be one of my two responses to this.

Cheers!

[MasterCylinder]

I just knew you would be one of my two responses to this.

Cheers!

Hell yeah, dude -- old school............and I'd love to come to PA and see that venue.
(BTW, my daughter considered Penn State, along with others, but eventually decided to attend the University of Texas...................I was pushing PS due to their awesome meteorology studies.)

[Swish]

Hell yeah, dude -- old school............and I'd love to come to PA and see that venue.
(BTW, my daughter considered Penn State, along with others, but eventually decided to attend the University of Texas...................I was pushing PS due to their awesome meteorology studies.)

Hell yeah! One of my roommates from my senior year there went on to semi-stardom at the Weather Channel. He's now doing all sorts of graphics for them, the stuff you see on your TV screen. There's no finer school in the nation for that major.

[MasterCylinder]

Hell yeah! One of my roommates from my senior year there went on to semi-stardom at the Weather Channel. He's now doing all sorts of graphics for them, the stuff you see on your TV screen. There's no finer school in the nation for that major.

I could not disagree...........although the hurricane guys at the University of Miami and the tornado guys at the University of Oklahoma would argue with you.

I found that Penn State even had a minor (18 hours) in meteorology...........the first course was titled Atmospheres and Oceans...........the prerequisite was 12 hours of calculus.
My daughter wound up an English major.........go figure.

[thekid]

Congrats!!
I am a fan of early Poco and have about half-dozen of their LP's on vinyl.

[Worf101]

Great review. I'm pleased as punch that the folks on here listen to music and also watch it LIVE. It's like catching lightning in a bottle. When it's right there's nothing like it. I remember the name Poco, but I'm not overly familiar with their repetoire. Thanks for doing the review and hipping me to more music.

Da Worfster