Music lovers inside Morristown, NJ's MPAC auditorium this Wednesday October 9, 2024 evening prepare to live an American dream by experiencing an All the Good Times: Farewell Tour performance by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Founded in 1966 by Jeff Hanna and Jimmie Fadden, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band climbed the charts with their 1971 hit, “Mr. Bojangles.” The group’s success continued with their 1972 star-studded triple platinum-selling country album, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and related projects including 1989’s double-Grammy winning Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. II, and 2003’s Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III. The group’s most recent recording is their 2022 Bob Dylan tribute album, Dirt Does Dylan.
To open tonight’s show, singer/songwriter Brit Taylor takes the stage along with accompanist Adam Chaffins and the pair launches into the rhythmic country tune, “Cabin in the Woods.” Accompanied by the strumming of twin acoustic guitars, Taylor sings in her twangy country voice, “I got a cabin in the woods/It does my soul so good/Come on over if you would/To my cabin in the woods.”
Following the bluegrass number, “Anything But You,” Taylor greets the crowd, introduces Adam Chaffins as her husband, and explains that her next song “is in Episode Six of Tulsa King,” the TV drama starring Sylvester Stallone. Vocal harmonies add to the crying feel of this story ballad where Tayler sings with ease while demonstrating her vocal range.
After announcing, “I’m gonna do a song you know, and you can sing along, too,” Taylor performs an upbeat country version of Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved.” The crowd cheers, and Taylor sails into a song she wrote about her Kentucky grandpa who occasionally went missing from her grandma. On “St. Anthony,” Taylor and Chaffins sing together, “Saint Anthony (Saint Anthony)/Saint of the lost and found/If you can just find him and get him on home/By God I’ll do the straightening out,” on this appealing country rocker.
Taylor and Chaffins follow up with a live version of their recent recording, “Holding On, Holding Out,” a playful tune on which they take turns trading barbs before singing to one another, “I’m holding on (I’m holding out)/ Reckin’ that’s what love’s about/Baby there ain’t no doubt/I’m holding on (I’m holding out),” to avid cheers and applause.
Taylor concludes her set with “The Best We Can Do,” a thoughtful ballad on which her sweet country soprano persuasively communicates the message, “When the going gets tough/The best we can do is love.”
Following a short intermission, the members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band — drummer Jimmie Fadden, guitarist Jaime Hanna, bassist Jim Photoglo, guitarist Jeff Hanna, fiddler Ross Holmes, and keyboardist Bob Carpenter— take the stage and open their set with a swinging version of Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”
Colored lights rain down as Jeff Hanna, Jaime Hanna, and Bob Carpenter share lead vocals and sing in three-part harmony on the song’s lively, “Whoo-ee! Ride me high/Tomorrow’s the day/My bride’s gonna come,” refrain.
Segueing into “Partners, Brothers, and Friends,” Jeff Hanna sings and plays electric guitar as Ross Holms’ fiddle glides along on this easy country two-step.
Concertgoers cheer, and Jeff Hanna greets the crowd before asking them to “give a big old ‘hoot’ after the band sings, ‘hoot,’ on their interpretation of Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cosmic Cowboys.” On this country story song, Jaime Hanna takes a guitar solo, Jimmie Fadden solos on harmonica as he simultaneously plays the drums, and the crowd appropriately “hoots” on cue to Jeff’s instruction.
Music lovers whistle and cheer as the group cruises into “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” a slow country rocker which features a Ross Holms fiddle solo and Jeff Hanna’s clear and pointed country-tinged lead vocal.
Jeff introduces his son, Jaime, whose resonant voice rings out on “Girl from the North Country.” Holms switches over from fiddle to mandolin, Carpenter plays accordion, and Jaime makes his Fender Telecaster sing with emotion on this cut from the group’s latest recording, Dirt Does Dylan.
Carpenter is the featured vocalist on the group’s next number, “Stand a Little Rain.” In his full, clear voice, he croons, “When the storm blows over/Only the strong love remains/If we’re ever gonna see a rainbow/We have to stand a little rain,” on this country rock ballad which elicits avid cheers and applause.
Holms effortlessly renders an upbeat bluegrass fiddle solo on the Dirt Band’s interpretation of “Take Me In Your Lifeboat.” Then, drummer Jimmie Fadden comes downstage for a rollicking rendition of “Fish Song.” After singing, “Sat here by this stony brook/Until the grey day turned to dust/When up swam a fish with a children’s book/Thought that I was lost,” the crowd cheers and Jeff jokes, “Jimmie wrote that song and we still don’t know what it’s about!”
Revealing that the next song was inspired after performing at Farm Aid with Willie Nelson, Jeff and the band perform “Workin’ Man (Nowhere to Go)” where Jeff sings lead, Jaime plays Telecaster, Holms is on mandolin, and Fadden keeps the country rhythm steady on the drums.
Music lovers enthusiastically applaud when the Dirt Band launches into a live version of their 1971 Top Ten hit, “Mr. Bojangles.” Sounding just like he did on the original recording, Jeff Hanna sings, “I knew a man Bojangles and he danced for you/In worn out shoes,” before the crowd joins in on the beloved “Mr. Bojangles/Mr. Bojangles/Mr. Bojangles/Dance” refrain.
“Nice singing, folks!” exclaims Jeff before announcing, “This is a song about Colorado,” as the group sails into “Ripplin’ Waters.” Featuring a jam session which spotlights Fadden on harmonica, Jaime on acoustic guitar, and Jeff on electric, the arrangement builds as father and son play together before climaxing with a flurry of chords, whistles, hoots, hollers, and applause.
Jeff exclaims, “That was fun rocking out!” prior to acknowledging that although he wrote the next song for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, it went on to become a #1 hit for Rascal Flatts. As the rest of the musicians leave the stage, Carpenter sings lead on “Bless the Broken Road.” Accompanied by Jeff on acoustic guitar, the pair croons in harmony, “This much I know is true/That God blessed the broken road/That led me straight to you,” before they’re joined by Fadden and his harmonica on this unplugged version of the poignant country ballad.
Fadden stands alone on stage making his harmonica sound like a train before he’s joined by Jeff and the duo jams on a country blues version of “John Henry.” Then, the rest of the band returns for a foot-stompin’ rendition of “Fishin’ in the Dark.”
Music lovers happily sing along on the tune’s “You and me go fishin’ in the dark/Lyin’ on our backs and countin’ the stars” refrain and dance at their seats to the song’s infectious country rhythm.
Fadden’s harmonica and Carpenter’s keyboard start off The Dirt Band’s island-influenced “An American Dream” where music lovers joyfully sing along with Jeff on the tune’s “I think Jamaican in the moonlight/Sandy beaches, drinking rum every night” chorus.
Following up with the Cajun-inspired “Bayou Jubilee,” Holms impresses on the fiddle before morphing into a captivating rendition of “Orange Blossom Special” which has concertgoers hooting and hollering as he plays higher and higher under colored lights.
The audience cheers and applauds and the party continues with a country-rock version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch” where Jim Photoglo rocks out on bass, Jeff plays electric guitar, Holms saws on the fiddle, and Carpenter is featured on a keyboard solo.
The audience stands and applauds and the band bows and leaves the stage before returning with Brit Taylor and Adam Chaffins for a performance of “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” Concertgoers join in as the musicians sing, “Will the circle be unbroken/By and by Lord, by and by/There’s a better home awaiting/In the sky Lord, in the sky,” in perfect harmony.
Segueing into a cover version of The Band’s “The Weight,” audience members clap along and join in on the song’s “Take a load off Fanny/Take a load for free” chorus. The crowd stands and cheers as the musicians take a bow and Jeff Hanna concludes by exclaiming, “Thank you guys so much — we appreciate it! Take care of yourselves!”
To learn more about The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, please go to nittygritty.com. For more info on Brit Taylor, click on brittaylormusic.com. For information on great upcoming programming at MPAC — including Chicago on October 26, Rick Springfield on November 2, and KC and the Sunshine Band on November 22 — please go to mayoarts.com.
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