Live Review: Brian Webb at Club Passim on July 17th
July 18, 2009 by Nicholas Peterson
I first saw Brian Webb at a NEMO Showcase at Club Passim in April 2002. He backed up Rachel McCartney and she reciprocated during his set. After the show, I purchased The Evolving CD and it’s been in my music circulation ever since.
In 2003 I began seeing him regularly at Club Passim until a few years later when he was diagnosed with Chrohn’s disease and decided to play fewer shows and return to school. Friday night, Webb returned to Club Passim and, as always, he brought some of the finest Boston musicians to join him onstage. Tonight, Sean Staples (of Session Americana and about 78 other bands in Boston) joined him on stage.
Donning a “Don’t Mess With Rhode Island” t-shirt (you’d think it was texas but the teensy RI was smack dab in the middle of the longhorn state) and his personable and appreciative attitude Brian Webb opened with “Walk Alone.” People who had never heard the song before laughed after the opening line “You drive me crazy, maybe cause’ you are” causing Webb to briefly stop and laugh, saying that it would be, by far the most humorous line in the song.
After failing at what Staples referred to as “witty Passim banter”, Webb admitted that his life was now consumed by what he thought the audience would find too boring: being a math teacher and his four month old son. After some “oohs” and “ahhs” Webb trustingly allowed his iPhone to be passed around the sold-out club so everybody could see the photo on the screen. His iPhone even returned to the stage before he started the next song.
The evening continued with great renditions of “Perfect ‘lil Imperfection”, “Joshua”, “45″, “Dirty South”, and “Saved by Love” (with Webb on the banjo). Requests from the audience included “They Are Not My Own” and “D’Julliane.” The set ended with “Leaving Atlanta” and the encore “Oh Lord” which featured Webb with a slide borrowed from a generous audience member.
Intermixed throughout the show were Webb’s sharp wit, self-deprecating humor, and affable relationship with the intimate Club Passim audience — as if he were in your living room amongst a group of friends. The night included stories of the Rhode Island school system, his friendship with Sean Staples and Passim’s Matt Smith (who was responsible for the shirtless photo of Webb in the Club Passim calendar –retribution for Webb’s out-of-date website).
Regardless of his old materials, Brian Webb was in fine form. Looking around, everybody had a good time and both Webb and Staples were enjoying themselves. Mike Evin who opened the show playing his first of a two month tour brought his own piano (yes, a piano) in his car from Montreal, Canada. With an a capella song about watermelons, a childhood ode to soapbox racing and a tribute to receptionists, “Rockin’ Receptionst”, he warmed up the audience with his charm.
However, this was Webb’s night at Passim. A relative rarity. While I’m sure he will be an excellent math teacher, I hope it doesn’t prevent him from playing one or two shows a year at Club Passim. They are events that shouldn’t be missed.
Nicholas Peterson (@npeterson on Twitter) is an internet marketing and communications strategist specializing in nonprofit and arts organizations.
Photo of Brian Webb courtesy brian-webb.com.
