Inside New Brunswick's State Theatre New Jersey auditorium this November 20, 2023 evening country music fans relive the excitement of waiting for Santa as they anticipate a seasonal Holidays and Hits concert by country music stars Pam Tillis and Phil Vassar.
Exclaims Susan, a Pam Tillis fan in the crowd from East Brunswick, “I’ve really been looking forward to this show! Back in the day, I loved Mel Tillis, and I started listening to Pam in the ’90s and loved her, too. She has a great voice, and seems to have her father’s sense of humor — one of my favorite songs of hers is ‘Cleopatra, Queen of Denial,’ which I’m hoping she’ll sing tonight!”
Lisa, a fan of Phil Vassar from Colts Neck, insists, “Life is about stories, and Phil tells the most amazing stories!” Her husband Bill agrees, recalling, “15 years, ago, I saw Phil perform in Freehold, and my life changed! I liked him so much I started going to his concerts with Lisa, and a few years ago, I reached out and asked him to perform at our 40th wedding anniversary at our home and he did,” prior to concluding, “With all his talent, he’s still just a regular guy, and we can’t wait to see him perform again tonight!”
Guitarist Jeff Smith, bassist Steve Cook, drummer Jeff Brown, keyboardist Haley Sullivan, sax/flute player Pattie Cossentino, and fiddler/mandolinist Abby Phillips take their places on a stage set with twin Christmas trees, a piano wrapped in Christmas paper, and lights twinkling both behind and below them.
The announcement, “It’s time for Holidays and Hits with Pam Tillis and Phil Vassar!” is made and the musicians launch into a freewheeling “Rockin’ Christmas Medley” with Pam Tillis entering the stage singing “Jingle Bell Rock” and Phil Vassar making his entrance simultaneously crooning “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
When Abby Phillips saws out a country fiddle solo, Tillis asks, “How’s everybody doing out there?” Fans applaud as they join in singing on this holiday medley before breaking out in enthusiastic applause.
“Now that’s what you call a mash-up!” exclaims Tillis, adding, “It’s our first show, and you guys sounded so good singing along!”
Following a country waltz arrangement of “My Favorite Things” which features a wailing Pattie Cossentino soprano sax solo, the crowd cheers, and Tillis recognizes Vassar acknowledging, “We’ve never worked together before. We said this would be a ‘grand experiment,’ so let’s fall back right now on some classics!”
In his warm baritone voice, Vassar croons, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,” before Tillis joins in with her sweet soprano vocal on “The Christmas Song.” The pair captivates the crowd with their slow and thoughtful interpretation of this Mel Tormé holiday gem.
Vassar leaves the stage and Tillis straps on a guitar prior to performing her 1994 #1 country hit, “Mi Vida Loca.” Accompanied by Jeff Brown’s driving drums, Steve Cook’s smoking bass, and Jeff Smith’s twangy electric guitar, Tillis, Haley Sullivan, and Abby Phillips sing in three-part harmony while the crowd claps in time to this Grammy-nominated country-rocker.
“Welcome to my crazy life!” exclaims Tillis before she and the band segue into her 1993 Top 20 hit, “Cleopatra, Queen of Denial.” Tillis cries, “Even though I saw him dancing last night/With a girl in leopard skin pants/Oh, he’s probably stuck in traffic/And he’ll be here in a little while/Just call me Cleopatra, everybody/’Cause I’m the Queen of Denial,” on this appealing barrelhouse country rocker.
Concertgoers hoot and holler, and Tillis asks, “How we doing so far?” prior to noting, “This next song was the biggest #2 record of 1992!” and explaining how an up-and-comer named Garth Brooks “stole the #1 spot and stayed there!” Here, Tillis and the band perform “Maybe it was Memphis” where Tillis sings with feeling, “Maybe it was Memphis/Maybe it was southern summer nights/Maybe it was you, maybe it was me/But it sure felt right” on this country power ballad.
Smith, Brown, Cook, and Cossentino exit leaving Tillis on stage alone with Sullivan on keyboard and Phillips on fiddle/mandolin. The trio kicks off a mainly unplugged set of hits starting with Tillis’ breezy country rocker, “Shake the Sugar Tree,” and continues with three more Tillis chestnuts including the ballad “Spilled Perfume,” the pop-country tune “Let That Pony Run,” and the appealing story song “All the Good Ones are Gone.” The crowd eagerly applauds, after which Tillis declares, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong!”
Tillis concludes her set with her interpretation of Sara Bareilles’ “Love is Christmas” where Sullivan’s rolling piano accompaniment allows the vocals to shine as the musicians take turns singing lead and then blend their voices in pristine three-part harmony on the “We sing oo/oo/oo/Let love lead us, love is Christmas” refrain.
Fans cheer, and Tillis leaves the stage as the full band returns for a Mannheim Steamroller-inspired rendition of “Carol of the Bells.” Electric guitar, flute, and fiddle kick off the arrangement and bass, keyboards, and driving drums join in while lights flash on this dynamic performance. Concertgoers hoot and holler, and Vassar returns to the stage asking, “Was that amazing or what?” prior to adding, “Thanks for being here!”
Accompanying himself on the piano, Vassar is featured on a soulful rendition of “Please Come Home for Christmas.” As Vassar belts out the “Bells will be ringin’ the sad, sad news/Oh, what a Christmas to have the blues” lyric, audience members sway to the R&B rhythm in their seats.
“How’s everybody in Jersey doing tonight?” asks Phil before he counts off his 1999 Top 5 hit, “Carlene.” Members of the audience smile, clap, and sing along on the “Oo-la-la-la-la-la, lookin’ good Carlene” refrain of this infectious country rocker.
The band deftly accompanies Vassar as he performs a dynamic rendition of the 1998 #1 country hit he wrote for Jo Dee Messina, “Bye Bye,” where Phil shakes hands with fans in the front of the house as he rocks out on stage.
Vassar starts off the rhythmic country tune, “In a Real Love,” on piano, and fans sing along on the song’s irresistible “A little bit of fuss, a little bit of fight/Little bit of kiss and makin’ up all night” chorus. Revealing, “I wrote this next song when my washing machine broke down,” music lovers continue to sing along with Vassar on his 2000 #1 smash, “Just Another Day in Paradise.”
Dedicating his next song to a college friend in the audience, Vassar performs another #1 hit he wrote for Jo Dee Messina, “I’m Alright.” Phil instructs, “Sing it with me even if you don’t know it!” and the crowd happily obliges joining in on the catchy “It’s a beautiful day, not a cloud in sight/So I guess I’m doing alright” refrain.
A fan delivers a bouquet of flowers to the stage as Vassar reintroduces Pam Tillis who laments, “I can’t believe I never got one of those songs to record,” before addressiing the crowd stating, “If you weren’t in the Christmas spirit when you got here, I hope you are when you go home!”
Drummer Jeff Brown lays down the infectious backbeat on a powerful arrangement of the African-American spiritual, “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” Then, Phil and Pam trade off singing lead on their interpretation of the 1969 Jackie DeShannon pop hit, “Put a Little Love in your Heart.”
Music lovers dance in the aisles as Vassar high fives fans who join in on the well known “And the world (And the world) / Will be a better place” refrain.
The audience explodes in applause as Vassar declares, “We’re gonna take it on home with this one!” and he and Tillis conclude tonight’s show with a Jersey twist when they present their take on the Bruce Springsteen arrangement of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town.”
Featuring sparkling tenor sax and fiddle playing, the crowd sings and dances along to this rockin’ holiday number before Tillis and Vassar take a bow and wish everyone present a warm “Happy holidays!”
To learn more about Pam Tillis, please go to pamtillis.com. For more on Phil Vassar, please click on philvassar.com. For information on great upcoming shows at STNJ — including The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws on January 25, Blackberry Smoke on March 23, and the ’60s Rock ’N Roll Revival starring Jay and the Americans, The Grass Roots, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, and The Brooklyn Bridge on April 20, 2024 — please click on stnj.org.
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