The highly acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning folk artist returned to St. Cecilia Music Center on Tuesday for yet another crowd-enchanting performance. The review and photos.
Rhiannon Giddens: A night of “front porch” marvels. (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
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Rhiannon Giddens and her top-shelf, six-piece band brought “their front porch” to Grand Rapids’ St. Cecilia Music Center to give Tuesday night’s audience a crash course on the various styles and subgenres of old-time folk and roots music.
The tunes demonstrated by the band ranged in origin from Western Nigeria, to Giddens’ hometown of Greensboro, N.C., and everywhere in-between.
The show got started with a brief opening set from two of Giddens’ band members, Amelia Powell and Demeanor, who brought hip-hop influences and a loop pedal into their mix of folk tunes.
Joining Giddens on stage were openers Powell and Demeanor as well as multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, bassist Jason Sypher, and fiddler Justin Robinson who also played with Giddens in their former band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops.
On-Stage Chemistry: Giddens and her band. (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
Giddens and her bandmates exhibited excellent on-stage chemistry whether they were joking around between songs, harmonizing seamlessly, or communicating wordlessly through instrumentals cues.
Giddens introduced the show by describing this style of music as “music that brought people together,” and music that “came from people who had nothing.” Throughout the night, Giddens and her band members took turns leading and introducing songs, taking the time to cite the person they learned the song from and sometimes sharing the historical context behind the tracks.
Merle Haggard, Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten, Etta Baker and Joe Thompson were just a few of the artists whose songs were represented on the set list.
PRAISING GR’S NORTH COAST GUITAR CO. FOR REPAIRING HER BANJO
Giddens also shared some facts about the history of the different instruments that were used throughout the night, particularly her beloved banjos. “North Coast Guitar Company actually fixed this banjo this morning,” Giddens said, giving a shout-out to a local Grand Rapids business.
Giddens spoke about her role as a music consultant for the 2025 film, “Sinners,” before playing her co-written song with Robinson, “Old Corn Liquor,” which is featured in the movie. Giddens excitedly referred to the song as “the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” as the track has quickly made its way to the top of her Spotify page.
The main portion of the set ended with an upbeat tune that inspired a high-energy dance break from Giddens, who returned to the stage slightly out of breath for a solo, acapella performance before the main encore.
An Emotional Night: Giddens in her return to St. Cecilia. (Photo/Jeffrey Wilkinson)
The Grammy Award-winning Giddens spoke briefly about immigration and the idea that “people don’t leave home unless they have to.” At the end of the emotionallycharged performance, Giddens wiped tears from her eyes.
The band did not shy away from voicing thoughts about the current state of our culture in America, but put a positive spin on it by describing music as a way of celebrating the little victories and positive advancements that artistry has made despite the grim circumstances.
Throughout the performance, the band members continuously dropped hints to the audience that they should get up and dance in the aisle, joking that there was “plenty of room.” By the time the band came back out for the encore, at least a dozen people had made their way to the front of the stage to dance.
Giddens even hopped off the stage at one point to join in as the rest of the crowd stomped and clapped along at their seats.
PHOTO GALLERY: Rhiannon Giddens at St. Cecilia Music Center
Photos by Jeffrey Wilkinson
