Banjos-and-bluegrass night at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Monday had some legendary, veteran players sharing the bill for a night of jamming and story-telling. (Review, photo gallery)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park wears bluegrass well.
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The sweeping views, warm acoustics and casual picnic atmosphere are a natural fit for banjos, roots and twangy harmonies.
Monday night’s double bill of the Del McCoury Band and Bela Fleck/Abigail Washburn was a natural fit for the quintessential summer venue, with sunny skies and an equally welcoming — if somewhat Meijer Gardens’ standard-issue sedate — audience of about 1,500 fans.
Fleck and Washburn set the tone with an 80-minute, all-banjo set in which the married couple seamlessly traded/shared vocal duties and the strumming spotlight. The pair, who last year released an album together, offered numerous sweet and personal touches throughout their intimate 12-song performance, not the least of which was Washburn’s brief clogging demo during her call-and-response number, “Divine Bell.”
The duo also shared plenty of silly stage banter and quips about such topics as their gross underestimation as first-time parents of the physical and practical demands of raising a baby, and the unexpected joys of taking a holiday in Holland, Mich.
Fleck, winner of numerous Grammy Awards and a popular visitor to Meijer Gardens, never fails to impress, his fingers nimbly scaled the strings as he lent new dimension to an instrument so often (and unfairly) maligned. Washburn’s powerful voice — and plucking — was a nice match for Fleck’s seasoned talent.
The headlining guitarist Del McCoury and his four-piece band — including sons Ronnie (mandolin) and Robbie (banjo), plus Jason Carter (fiddle) and Alan Bartram (bass) — closed out the evening with a rousing set that packed 19 tunes (including “Streets of Baltimore” and numerous gospel and instrumental numbers) into a roughly 70-minute span. The 76-year-old McCoury, in his cream-colored suit and gentle drawl, exudes a grandfatherly vibe.
But don’t let the full head of silver fool you: the man can still jam.
The multi-Grammy-Award winner effortlessly commanded the stage and led an extremely tight set of some of the most polished, proficient bluegrass musicians you’re ever likely to find. Unfortunately, the crowd of 1,500-plus, while certainly receptive, didn’t — as a whole — give the man and his band their proper due, with many folks packing up and leaving before the end of the show.
C’mon, folks: You pay good money to see some of the best in the biz. Why not stick around and see how it all plays out? (Hint: If you left early, you missed Washburn and Fleck joining McCoury and crew on stage for the encore. And it was worth it.)
PHOTO GALLERY: DEL MCCOURY BAND/BELA FLECK & ABIGAIL WASHBURN
Photos by Anna Sink
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