John McEuen, best known for his work with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, played the first of three scheduled sold-out concerts at the Mountain Music Shoppe on Wednesday evening.
"It's nice to see all the people in the Shawnee area that don't have cable," McEuen kidded as he took the stage. In truth, the audience knew how fortunate they were to see the influencial musician in such an intimate space. The gracefully aging hippies, bluegrass fans and amateur musicians in attendance were treated to 95 minutes of vastly entertaining Americana.
Equal parts comedy routine, history lesson and jaw-dropping display of musical virtuosity, McEuen's showcase sparkled. He clearly relishes performing. And while he's enthralled with his own prowess on guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle, his showiness is balanced by a self-effacing nature and comedic talent.
Formed forty years ago, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band successfully fused traditional American folk musics to contemporary rock and country sounds. McEuen spoke proudly about their momentous "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" album of 1972. He offered stories about a few of the legends that appeared on the album, including Vassar Clements, Merle Travis, Lester Flatt and Maybelle Carter.
A few musical moments were especially memorable. He evoked the misty American past with a craggy version of "Mountain Whippoorwill (Or, How Hillbilly Jim Won the Great Fiddler's Prize)." His 1974 recorded version seems like youthful folly by comparison. The aging process only enhances the silver-maned McEuen's artistic authority. McEuen reprised "Mr. Bojangles," the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's biggest hit, and offered a pretty guitar piece from his film music for "Good Old Boys," a vehicle for his friend Tommy Lee Jones.
McEuen spoke longingly of Kansas City's fabled Vanguard Coffee House and Cowtown Ballroom. "We used to book our days off in Kansas City," he said. "Those were different times."
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