Pennington
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Pennington Music Festival
Pennington, Minnesota
August 8, 1999
Reviewed By JW Anderson
Big Brother & The Holding Company's appearance at the Pennington Music Festival on August 8th came off with out a hitch. Well, that is if you consider a date change and some very creative travel plans coming off without a hitch. The festival was supposed to be on July 17th but because of scheduling conflicts, the date was changed to August 8th. On August 7th the band was playing in Cardwell, Montana and headed to Pennington via Missoula, Minneapolis and Grand Forks, North Dakota. Creative travel agents indeed.
The band did, however, arrive on time and took the stage at approximately 9:00 P.M. I have had the opportunity to see Big Brother 3 times in the past 12 months. And each time a different female lead vocalist was on the bill. One thing I can say for this band is they always land on their feet in finding a songstress. And the other amazing fact is the female vocalist is never a Janis Joplin clone.
In last summer's tour the band had Lisa Battle who was a very good singer, but came off looking more like a hired hand. With the east coast fall tour the band presented Hallee DeVestern, who is a very good singer/song writer in her own right, but it was evident that this was a quick fix. However, this summer and this tour it was Maria Stanford's time to shine. Let's suffice it to say that this new lead singer just blew me away. She is a soulful singer that can belt out the blues and has a stage presence that suggests that she is a member of this band, and that she is in it for the long haul. Not once during this show did I even try to compare her to Janis. Maria took the old tunes and the newer ones and molded them into her own very unique style. I may be showing my biases here, but it was a sight and sound to behold.
The band opened the set with Down On Me and Maria Stanford took hold of the vocal reins from the get-go. After a minor controversy focusing on a smoke making machine designed to keep the "skeeters" away the band went directly into Combination Of The 2 and then to I Need A Man To Love. This tune was a new treat because it was arranged a bit differently from past versions with some interesting jazzy vocals and guitar work added by Sam Andrew. The band was cookin' now and had the crowd howling. The tempo changed a bit with a Sam Andrew composition...Save Your Love. This is what I consider to be the bands' obligatory reggae tune and the guitar work of Sam Andrew and Tom Finch is particularly nice.
This show was only Maria's second gig with the band. Yet, outside of a couple awkward moments, it seemed like she had been with the guys for years. The '99 version of Big Brother includes original members Sam Andrew on Guitar, Peter Albin on bass and Dave Getz on drums. Tom Finch rounds out the Band on guitar. While Tom is not an original member, his fusion of rock, R&B, blues and some well placed lead guitar solo's really compliments the rhythm section.
This night proved to be a departure of sorts for the group as a "guest vocalist" was invited up on stage to do a rendition of Turtle Blues. The guest who goes by the name of "Sunny Blue" apparently is a long time fan of Big Brother and drove 17 hours to the show from Detroit, Michigan. It was nice of the guys to invite her on stage and after she shook some nervous moments, she did an adequate job. But now it was time for Maria to join the guys again and the highlight of the evening was still to come.
After "Turtle Blues" the band lit into its' signature tune... Summertime. Again Maria did an exemplary job on the vocals and Tom and Sam performed some excellent guitar work here. I was a bit disappointed that the psychedelic lead in of Springtime was not played this time. Tunes that have been added, however, were Me & Bobby McGee and an impromtu version of
Mercedes Benz by Maria.
After "Bobby McGee" the highlight of the evening came with a rendition of the Sam Andrew tune Do What You Love. The band really cooked on this and kept the song going for about 7 to 8 minutes. But what really blew the crowd away was the extended guitar solo by Tom Finch. Tom heated it up and played like his life depended on every note. Just incredible.
The evening ended with Ball & Chain. Again Maria sang like it she owned this song and Mr. Finch again heated it up. Just phenominal music.
This is the best sound I have heard from this band in many years. They have endured many hardships over the years yet they still come to entertain and entertain they do. It was a great evening and the band has put together a winning combination with the addition of Maria Stanford. Let's hope we hear a lot more from them in the future.
The Band
Peter Albin: Bass and Vocals
Sam Andrew: Guitar and Vocals
Maria Stanford: Vocals
Tom Finch: Guitar and Vocals
Dave Getz: Drums
Set List
Down On Me
Combinaton Of The 2
I Need A Man To Love
Save Your Love
Call On Me
Women Is Losers
Turtle Blues (Sunny Blue on Vocals)
Summertime
Comin' Home
Me & Bobby McGee
Do What You Love
Piece Of My Heart
Mercedes Benz
Ball & Chain
To listen to a Real Audio clip from the 99 Festival, here's what you will need:
The Free RealPlayer
At least a 28.8 k connection
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