A Prairie Home Companion
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
01.07.17
Forty-two years running, and the only live music and variety show aired on nationwide radio, A Prairie Home Companion is still a musical treat. With new host Chris Thile on hand and special guests Regina Spektor and The Shins waiting in the wings, the performers kicked off their 2017 season with a live broadcast from Seattle’s historic Paramount Theatre.
The stage was set with a patchwork of instruments, music stands, and microphones, ready to capture every sparkling moment of the show as longtime musical director Richard Dworsky began a generous piano opening under a vintage-looking street sign. As Thile, mandolin in hand, and other band members – vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jarosz, guitarist Chris Eldridge, fiddler Brittany Haas, bassist Paul Kowert, and drummer Ted Poor – took to the stage, they were met by massive applause from the sold out crowd.
“I haven’t been here for so long and I’ve missed it,” says Thile, ever the magnanimous front man, mandolin in hand. His magnificent playing and theatrical personality were brilliant to both watch and hear in a live setting. “Never take this theatre for granted Seattle,” he continued, “This theatre is amazing. One of the best sounding rooms I’ve ever been in.” And it was true. The sound was spectacular, the APHC team clearly knew what they were doing.
As the “on air” sign lit up the street sign and the house lights went all the way down, the band got the crowd clapping along with their intro, and everyone looked like they were having a ball. Thile had plenty of locally-sourced jokes up his sleeve as he called out the “twelfth man” Seahawks fans and several local coffee companies. “And then there’s little Slate. You can get a deconstructed latte. You may think it sounds pretentious. It is. But sometimes pretense tastes pretty damn good.”
It was really cool to see Fred Newman’s sound effects done live with shoes, glasses, and door props as Serena Brook and Tim Russell interacting with one another during the humorist segments, and the laughter you heard across the airwaves was 100% real. About twenty minutes in, Regina Spektor joined the band on stage. In support of her seventh studio album, 2016’s Remember Us To Life, the eccentric singer, songwriter, and pianist performed with a perfect balance of unconventionality and pop appeal.
The Shins, formed twenty years ago, also joined the show. With a new album on the way, in preparation for what will surely be a busy festival season, the band also gave a handful of songs. New tracks “Name For You” and “The Fear” both fit nicely within the indie-pop group’s oeuvre. Between The Shins and Spektor, the show had plenty of personable pop power, held aloft by Thile & Co. for a good two hour performance that showed off exactly why this bluegrass-loving show has thrived as long as it has.
For a full recording of the show, listen HERE.
Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Zach Etahiri
A Prairie Home Companion
