Halfway through his set, Craig Finn mentioned that on his newest album he “wanted to make some elegant music” and he also asked, “what better place to play elegant music in New York City than Joe’s Pub?” Finn was all smiles for this triumphant show of nuanced and restrained offerings during the first of his sold out two night run at the classic New York City venue on June 12th.
Kicking things off first however was a solo acoustic set from Laura Stevenson whose powerful songs were filtered through just her acoustic guitar and voice. Even though the 6 train rumbles could be heard during the delicate moments as the subway passed under the venue, Stevenson’s craft and style won out. Songs like the cinematic “Dermatillomania” and set-closing “The Move” displayed Laura’s excellent folk picking and strong vocals which delivered heartfelt cascading lyrics.
The Uptown Controllers came out after a very sort set break to clarinet notes and soft drums from Falcon Valdez before Finn joined his band and drifted into “Be Honest” with sweet swells and dramatic enunciation. The at times delicate and atmospheric tunes of bad decisions, lousy situations and longing for something bigger, combined with the classy venue proved to be a winning combo as “Blankets” found supporting background vocals augmenting things before the saxophone bumps from Stuart Bogie moved “Magic Marker” along.
“A Bathtub In The Kitchen” was highlighted by the warbling electric guitar work from James Richardson before Laura Stevenson came on stage to duet with Finn on the desperate and affecting “Grant at Galena”. Finn mentioned that by singing sad songs together they are elevated and communal bonds are formed with the crowd and that was certainly the case for this set highpoint.
Stevenson stuck around for the more upbeat “Something To Hope For” and the huge saxophone intro to “Newmyer’s Roof” was another cool musical move by the outfit. The band locked in on one of Finn’s most complete solo offerings as “Trapper Avenue” ending the set with aplomb.
Rather rather than walking off stage and back out Finn and company just stayed put for their encore of the powerful spoken word tale of drug dealing, death and broken hearts, “God In Chicago”. The hour and a half set certainly matched the cabaret surroundings as Finn smiled and sang his sad tales with intensity and gorgeous supporting sounds.
