Greg Brown with Bo Ramsey:Show Report

The show began with an acoustifying solo performance by Bo Ramsey.  As if that wasn't enough, Greg Brown joined him onstage to perform sweet, sweet musical love. As Ray said in his introduction, "It was the hope of having Brown perform that was the creating force of Uptown's Playlist Theater."

And it was everything we had been waiting for: "It was something grandma couldn't put in a jar." 

I'm inclined to describe further the nuances and one-liners Brown delivered in comedic fashion - like when describing downtown LaSalle as “beauty shops and bars” -  but the following words are a little too timely to surpass:  "You be good to me, let me be good to you."  Brown was referencing the current political atmosphere, and it's a philosophy that wouldn't hurt anyone to follow. 

Yes, Brown is more than a musician, he's an activist - with causes like Barn-Aid, In Harmony, The Breast Cancer Fund, and supporting the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.  From Southeastern Iowa, our continental backyard, Brown and his activism are defined by others letting him be good to them. 

Too many pop 'musicians' sing about nothing and manage to do it over and over and over again.  For Brown, it is always something familiar, but it is never the same.  In the most humanly way, the characters in his songs suffer, sorrow and yearn for something or someone lost. Yet they have hopes and dreams, and at times, they rejoice and dance. In the kitchen of life, Brown has a way of cutting into leftovers and serving it up as filet mignon. 

As Greg so eloquently put it, “Tiny little future, great big past.”  This show was a benchmark for the Uptown Playlist Theater, and we’re all looking forward to an even bigger past.  

Ka-ching! That's the sound.  See you at the next show.