It was one of the first cold nights of the season, but on Friday, November 14th, singer-songwriter Phil Vassar warmed us all up with his never ending supply of energy and talent. Phil has played many times in Massachusetts, but this is the first time he entertained us at the Chevalier Theater in Medford, MA. (The theater, built in 1939, is the sixth largest theater in the Boston area.) Phil Vassar performed flawlessly on the old stage, saying many times, in a French accent, “Thank you for inviting me to play at the Chevalier Theater.” Phil sang his heart out for a solid hour and a half, without a break, to a crowd of about one thousand people ranging from young to old and in between. Phil never disappoints and always puts on an amazing show.
Not one for a lot of pomp and circumstance, and with his talent there is no need for it; Vassar entered the stage and went directly to his signature instrument, his piano. He immediately broke into, ‘I’ll Take That as a Yes,’ (The “hot tub” song) his first of the twenty plus songs he would entertain us with for the evening. A fun, and crowd pumping song, the members of the audience stood immediately on their feet and never sat down for the rest of the show. Slowing the tempo down just a bit, Vassar went right into ‘Carlene’ followed by ‘Love is a Beautiful Thing,’ and then ‘Six Pack Summer.’ Finally, stopping to take a breath, he said, “How are you tonight Boston? You don’t mind if we play a little longer do you?” Of course nobody minded, and they most definitely let him know with loud cheering and exuberant applause. His answer to that was to play the opening chords for ‘Oh What a Night,’ the Four Seasons hit from 1976, with his six- foot plus bass player singing the chorus in a soprano voice. Still at the piano and while thanking the fans, he sang ‘When I Love You.’
Vassar stopped playing for a bit to let us know that he was preparing to release a new album, his first in five years, and to tell us who his musical influences were growing up. Bob Seger, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen’s styles and influences are evident in Vassar’s work. Like Seger, Joel and Springsteen, Vassar writes and sings some incredible story songs. A song he wrote that was released by David Nail in 2011, ‘The Sound of a Million Dreams,’ was one of those story songs he sang for the crowd. After singing ‘Another Day in Paradise’ and ‘American Child,’ Vassar sat down at the piano and treated us to a solo before singing ‘Joe and Rosalita.’ a track off his first album released in 2000. Getting encouragement from the crowds enthusiasm, Vassar decided to start the piano chords for ‘Jingle Bells,’ and promptly broke into Dashing through the snow. (‘Jingle Bells’ was actually written in Medford, MA by James Pierpont in 1850.)
He continually thanked the crowd for having him at the Chevalier Theater and asked for song requests from the audience. ‘Bobbi With an I,’ off his album ‘Traveling Circus,’ was requested. It is a silly song about a guy who does not have any money to go out with his friends and then he discovers that it is ladies night. He decides to dress in his pink- party dress and call himself Bobbi with an I.
Pumping the crowd up even more, he sang some of his more popular tunes from his ‘Greatest Hits, Vol. I’ album released in 2006. Five of the hits from the album were songs that Vassar wrote but were released by other artists. He indulged us with all five of them during the show. ‘Bye Bye,’ and ‘I’m Alright,’ hits for Jo Dee Messina, ‘My Next Thirty Years’ and ‘For a Little While,’ were cut by Tim McGraw, and ‘Little Red Rodeo’ was recorded by Collin Raye. At the beginning of ‘Bye Bye,’ Vassar told the crowd to ‘sing along even if you don’t know it, just like we do every night.’
Vassar also sang two new songs that will be on his anticipated new album, ‘American Soul’ and a song he sang during the encore, titled, ‘The Ballad of Pretty Mae.’ ‘It’s a song about a dad and a mom and murder. It’s a mystery song.’ Vassar’s last song in the set was the popular Fenway Park song ‘Sweet Caroline,’ a song that had no other choice but to become a crowd sing- along.
Thanking the crowd, yet again, for having him back in Boston, Vassar left the stage, and a couple minutes later he returned, sat at his piano and sang two more songs for us. (The Chevalier Theater was lucky enough that night to hear Vassar sing the new song ‘The Ballad of Pretty Mae,’ as it had never been sung live on stage before.) Ending the show, and still going strong, Vassar sang, as he does at the end of all his shows, ‘Piano Man.’
Phil Vassar’s talent, enthusiasm, interactions with the audience and his never ending supply of energy makes him a true piano man. He is an entertainer you should not miss out on the next time he is back in Boston. Knowing Phil Vassar and his fondness for the Bay Area, you will not have too long of a wait until he comes back this way again. He already has one show scheduled for 2015: July 19th at the Indian Ranch in Webster, MA.
Written by Lorraine Frigoletto, contributing writer for New England Country Music. You can follow me on Twitter.