Marc feeds the animals at the MN Zoo
Another great show! Great performances from Marc and the entire band... even though he was eating bugs under the lights he marched on! The playful banter with the crowd was hysterical. and hence forth July 22nd & 23rd will be known as Marc Cohn days!
Thanks Marc - I am still walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale today!
Matt.
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Thank You for the Music
What amazing music! It was like no other concert I've ever been to.
Susan D.
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SUPERB
Growing up nearer Minneapolis, Mn I have all of Marc's c.d's. Living this part of Minnesota near Fargo...Thank you for performing at Fargo! SUPERB concert. Marc is memorable, warm , funny, storyteller. Seeing him LIVE cannot be explained in words. YOU MUST experience his live concert. Marc signed my Join the band c.d. I watched Marc on piano and he plays from his heart and soul. Bravo to Marc and the band. This is a concert never to be forgotten. Thank you for coming to Fargo and lucky you came in summer and not winter. The band was awesome...Shane Fontane. Keep on writing...singing...a true fan who loves music but you are at the top.
Suzy
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Marc Climbs the Mountain, Swims the Sea
Marc held the audience captive throughout his show, not only when he was singing, playing guitar or piano, but when he related to the crowd with his heartfelt stories and smooth, engaging wit to introduce or follow up his music - which only magnified the elements of a beautiful evening in the new, if not improved, Mountain Winery. Although the new venue may have compromised some intimacy, his performance most certainly did not. Everyone who was at the show had a "True Companion."
Jim P.
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Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know
Raw energy and spontaneity rocked the Lobero on June 15 in Santa Barbara. Dispensing with a set list, Marc frequently turned to Shane with a, "What next?" He also obliged audience requests and played "Old Soldier," "Dance Back from the Grave," "True Companion" and "My Sanctuary" (one of my favorites). Besides the requests, one of my favorite moments of the show was during "The Calling" when Marc and Shane engaged in an acoustic guitar duel/duet that nearly brought the house down! Not to mention the joy of Marc's savory vocals tempered with Shane's sweet harmonies. And behind it all the rhythm section drove everything along with locomotive intensity. Something special was happening that night, and I am grateful to have been a part of it. Thank you Marc, Shane, Jon and Joe.
Mercutice.
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Marc Cohn free online concert at DeepRockDrive.com
The family members were under strict instructions not to bother me while I was watching the concert. Every one of my family members thought I was a little psycho.
And maybe I am. *shrug* The "doors" of the DeepRockDrive.com concert opened at 6:30 p.m., and me being the big Marc Cohn nerd I am, I clicked the "Join the Show" button immediately like I was fighting for a front row seat at a general admission show.
The first thing I did was to familiarize myself with the page's setup and interactive features. It was good to have some "dead" time to figure it all out without looking like a total dork during his show.though I probably wouldn't care. Okay, definitely wouldn't.
After familiarizing myself with all the features, I set my camera to Marc's piano and planned on keeping it there until the band got going. Good thing, too. A really cute kid (okay, he was probably in his 20s) sat at Marc's piano so they could aim the stationary camera at him. I sent a shout out saying something about it and the kid turned red. Heh.
At this point, they didn't have the live sound turned on they were only setting up the cameras. There were no numbers available to see how many people caught Marc's concerts, but based on comments alone, there were tons. I noted people from 11 countries and 34 different states! This doesn't include those folks who weren't chatting.
At 6:55 p.m., Marc sat down at his piano. The sounds still wasn't live, but I sent a comment that said: "I wonder what Marc sees on his end. It must be a lot to deal with!" I saw Marc mouth the words to my comment, then he had the camera turn around so I could see what he saw! I squealed with giddiness. It was a giant wall of TV screens! It appeared as though 4-6 comments would post at the same time on several of the screens, so I was able to see some of the comments that had been made a few seconds prior.
It appeared that the lag time at the beginning was short (like 5-7 seconds or so), but most people weren't making any chatter, so it was easy to get through. As the show went on, more and more people joined in on the chatting and I noticed the lag time got longer and longer (like 20-30 seconds). After getting to see what Marc saw, a quick tutorial video (maybe 1:30) appeared on our screen to familiarize us with the features. *eyeroll* I'd already done this, so like in high school, I didn't pay any further attention to it. Once it was over, they launched another video (maybe 3:30 or so) that was Marc and the band doing sound check earlier today. It was cool to be able to watch this part, since usually we're unable to witness what goes into getting the concert ready. Once the two videos were done, we went live to Marc, who explained to us that they were on a sound stage with only the stagehands, camera operators and other behind the scene folks as a "live audience".
I was a little surprised to see that the band was pretty stripped down. There was Marc (of course) on piano and acoustic guitar (depending on the song), trusty Shane Fontayne on lead guitar, acoustic guitar and harmonica (!!), Jon Ossman on upright bass and Joe Bonadillo on drums. That's it. Just four of 'em. While it was a small group, they ended up putting out a hell of a good sound!
The first song I voted for was "29 Ways". Unfortunately, this wasn't chosen until the seventh song, so it remained my "vote" through the first 6 selections. The first song Marc played was "Live Out the String" from his newest album. Every time I hear him perform this song, I like it a little more. This time was no exception. This version was similar to the studio version on the record, but it seemed stronger somehow. The vocals were surer and the vibe was more solid. Not that they sucked at all before, they were just different. Like he wasn't as certain of the song or something. I dunno. After the first song was over, I clicked the clap button a million times. Marc's first comment was: "Hi Heather, how are you doin'?" (No, he didn't sound like Joey from Friends, either.) I was stoked! While I really loved the personal interaction, I really missed the real interaction that the audience has with Marc in real time. Marc feeds off the audience in his live concerts and this one seemed more like he was a performing circus monkey, moving from song to song in a huge hurry to meet some timed deadline. I don't know if this is because they really were under a deadline or if he just wasn't into the "live" virtual audience, which only "appeared" on those TV screens. I suspect because he's a musician, he's a highly auditory person and this type of concert wasn't terribly fulfilling for him. Moving on.
The next song that was voted in was "Walking in Memphis". Marc said he wasn't surprised. Neither was I, since several people commented that this was the only song of his on the list that they knew. *sigh* This version ROCKED! It's hard to describe what he did to it, but he had a little of everything thrown into it: blues, rock, jazz.you name it, it was there. (Well, except for country and rap. Heh.) During the "Muriel" portion, it was just Marc and his piano playing the sweetest tribute to her. I've heard him do this part like this before.and I dig it. After the song was over, I commented: "My family thinks I'm acting a little like an idiot. Heh. I'm making lots of noise!" Marc started to read it, but it disappeared from his screen before he finished it and he said, "Too late." Bummer. He only got to "idiot".which I guess is fitting enough. *wink* He then went into "Listening to Levon" which was slowed down from the studio version. After "Listening to Levon", Marc stated that the next one he'd play was just in time for Father's Day - "Silver Thunderbird", which is one of a few songs he wrote about his dad. This particular version was very sweet. The next song was "Strangers in a Car", which I've always loved.and always wondered about. He filled us in. He said he used to write until 3 or 4 in the morning and sleep in the afternoons. He'd had a nightmare about a kidnapping and when he woke up, he wrote about it in this song. I've always wondered.and now I know. Very cool. FINALLY, "29 Ways" won the vote. Marc stood up from his piano to take center stage. Once Marc was properly placed, Joe started beating a heavy and almost tribal drumbeat. I was already bouncing in my computer chair. Yes, I was chair dancing. Big time. The song had an old rock and roll groove that was totally killer.and of course Shane got his usual solo time in the middle. He didn't disappoint. It was a completely energizing song for Marc, the band AND the audience. Since "29 Ways" was finally played, I got to vote for another song and the next one I voted for was "Paper Walls" and I was thrilled when it won for the next song played. Two kick ass songs in a row!! He played the song slower (which seemed to be an overall theme tonight) and more haunting. I got to vote again and chose "The Things We've Handed Down" but that wasn't next. Like usual. *sigh* When the song was over, Marc was obviously in a talkative mood. Someone asked him who his favorite songwriters were. Marc complained that there were about 10, then listed: "Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Al Green, Robbie Robinson" and then said that was a bunch of them. He went on to complain about having to play this concert in the middle of the desert, so I sent a message that said: "They don't have AC there?" Marc laughed, then read my comment aloud. He replied with: "Yes, they have AC I'm just a hot guy." Heh. I would've agreed with him, but he moved on to get ready to play "Miles Away". He explained that he'd written the song while traveling on a plane. Another little nugget of information I was unaware of. While this isn't one of my most favorite Marc tunes, he rocked the vocals on it tonight! And in the middle, Shane blew me away with his harmonica solo! It was unbelievably cool! "The Things We've Handed Down" was played next with just Marc and Shane. It, like always, was beautiful. *sniffle* I chose "Girl of Mysterious Sorrow" as my next choice, but it was never played. *huff* Instead, he played "One Safe Place" next and explained that he'd written the song for the movie The Upside of Anger, but that it had a life of its own and ended up on his fourth studio album. It suited me fine. I love the song. The final song was the encore selection, which was "Let Me Be Your Witness". Marc (and all of us viewers) felt like the concert had gone too quickly. (Maybe because it had!) He dedicated the song to his wife, Elizabeth Vargas. While he was playing, everyone crawled out of the woodwork and started posting thank yous and pleas for more encores but I knew there wouldn't be another one. And I, sadly, was correct.
Once it was all done, Marc read some of the comments out loud and stated he wasn't sure if he was still on. I told him he was.and heard him read it aloud not long before they cut us all off from him for the evening. The time was 8:10 p.m. It had been a terrific hour and a half.
Heather G.
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It was a rainy night in the desert when Marc Cohn came into town. But that sure didn't stop him from putting on an incredible show.
I saw Marc perform several years ago in Minneapolis, MN, but this show far exceeded the last one. I was fortunate enough to have a seat in the front row; even though I'm sure those sitting in the farthest seat back felt Mr. Cohn's soul just as intensely last night.
The show opened with a great performance by Amy Correia, and really got the crowd going.
Marc took the stage around 9:00 and got off to a great start. He played a great collection of new songs mixed with the standard old favorites, each with a special "live" twist that you won't find on any CD.
My favorite part of the show was the between-song banter Marc and his band had with the audience.
Everyone has their own interpretation of his music, but it is especially great when you get to hear about the real meaning behind the songs. There was a great back and forth between the audience and the band calling each other "hot" and the story about how Marc and Elizabeth met (told right before her song, "Let Me Be Your Witness").
It was an incredible show all around. Marc sounded great, the band sounded great (Shane Fontaine was incredible!) and the audience was really into it.
Another added bonus of the evening was Marc out front after the show signing autographs. It was great to be able to shake the man's hand and tell him thank you for a terrific show in person.
This performance was simply amazing, and has set the bar very high for future concerts.
Scott F.
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The show was amazing! An incredible mixture of outstanding music, laughs, and intimacy.
It was so great to see Marc and the band up there, glowing, loving every moment of the experience they were sharing with us.
It seemed like the whole audience understood that this was a special live event, a rich special moment in our life to enjoy together. I will remember it for many years to come.
If you haven't seen Marc in concert, get your tickets now. He's amazing.
David M.
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As a musician/drummer myself it's often difficult for me to enjoy live performances of most bands without a critic in my head noticing things like the too-loud guitarist, the too-fast tempo of a favorite familiar song, the phoned-in performance by the artist who's had to play that hit song a thousand times...
But, oh my God, Marc and his band showed everyone at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater what can happen when gifted, mature musicians come together and pool their talent to deliver perfect, magical performances of one man's original music.
It was remarkable how every musician on stage played with so much sensitivity and heart, making each and every song breathe and groove.
The more-laid-back version of "Ghost Train" just killed me, and the in-your-face trashy/bluesy rendition of "Paper Walls" was a real treat.
Throughout the evening the band backed Marc so perfectly, each musician playing only what needed to be played to enhance a song's mood and feel. This was a "Master Class" performance by musicians, FOR musicians . . . everyone else was just lucky to be there.
Marc was candid and genuine, spontaneous and giving. This was one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Thank you to Marc and his band for the very, very special evening.
Mark
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I've been a huge fan for well over 10 years...So many of your songs are my "favorite" song.."Perfect Love"..mmm...perfect...
The show was spectacular, the band incredible, the energy was magical, uplifting,powerful, poignant; an experience I'll keep with me forever.
I look forward to the next time that I see you...and hear you...Thank you.
Shoshana
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This was the second performance that my husband and I have seen and it was awesome!!
This concert was a birthday present for me and it was the best...Marc is a truly wonderful performer...so gracious and appreciative of the crowd...you just don't want it to end.
Luckily for us, he returned to the stage 3 times for encores! We could not get enough and cannot wait for Marc to return!
We love you in Portland, Marc!!!
Roann M.
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I had asked for Marc's new CD for my birthday after seeing him perform on Ellen Degeneres. I have been a fan for many years and was so excited he was BACK!
I was amazed that instead of just buying me the CD, my husband gave me tickets to see the show in Harrisburg on my birthday. I couldn't have asked for anything better.
When Marc & the band performed "Live Out the String," I cried through the whole performance. The words and music touched me in my core and to this day that is the song I play most often and the loudest!
Thanks for a great song and an unbelievable concert. It was a very personal, small setting and I felt like Marc was one of our buddies...he joked and talked to the audience like old friends. Can you say "sagacious"?
Now I can't wait to see him perform LIVE again. Thanks!
Tina K.
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I had the chance to see Marc in concert recently in Toronto thanks to the free tickets I won courtesy of marccohn.net. Since this was Marc’s first tour stop in Canada in nine years there were many eager fans in the audience (myself included) and Marc did not disappoint.
Marc opened the show with “Live Out The String” off his new album which was a great way to start the evening. The next song he did was “Girl of Mysterious Sorrow” which was exciting since that was the one song I really wanted to hear that evening. He then followed that up with “Ghost Train”, and as the very recognizable opening chords were played, the music felt like a warm hug on a cold day and I thought, “Ah yes, I think I would have waited twenty years for this…but I’m really glad I didn’t have to.”
One of the great things about seeing Marc live is that I always come away with a new appreciation for a song I hadn’t really listened to in a while. The last time I saw him in concert, “Paper Walls” totally blew me away to the point that I listened to it on continuous repeat for almost two weeks after. It would have gone on for longer if not for the complaints I started receiving. Apparently, it’s not the most appropriate song for the workplace. Anyway, this time around the song that I rediscovered was “Miles Away” which fortunately is totally safe for work.
The other thing I love about Marc’s concerts is the song selection. There’s nothing more frustrating to me than seeing someone in concert who’s put out fifteen albums and you have to sit through a bunch of shuck and jive just to hear the one song you came there to hear. Since Marc’s song catalog has more quality than quantity, you’re pretty much guaranteed to hear many of your favourites. The set list had a good mix of the new stuff, as well as the classics (which I guess is anything from his first three albums). Marc even took requests at one point which he qualified with “anything but ‘True Companion’”. I’m guessing Marc is hoping this song will die a slow and quiet death, at least in the live setting. I’m fine with it if it means he might play “From The Station” in its place. At least that would be my choice if there was some sort of song exchange program.
This was the third Marc Cohn concert I’ve been to and have to say that it was definitely the best concert (Marc Cohn or otherwise) that I’ve been to. Marc and his band have a really great chemistry and seem to be having a lot of fun playing the music which is contagious.
Although I hope Marc doesn’t wait another nine years to come back to Toronto, I can’t say it wasn’t worth the wait. If you have the chance to see Marc Cohn live, I suggest you run, don’t walk, to get tickets. You will not regret it.
Heather, B.
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Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Not only was the music beautiful, soulful and gutsy, Marc himself made me feel like I was sitting in the living room of good friends sharing laughs, tears and life.
"Silver Thunderbird"...great as always.
"If I Were An Angel"...words don't do it justice.
The new stuff is absolutely fabulous.
Thanks Marc for coming out after the show and letting us see your smile and grateful heart.
Dawn S.
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We saw Marc for the 3rd time in Madison. We loved the show! We have all of Marc's CD's and really treasure each one...of course we have our favorites but we enjoy his stories and fantastic melodies.
Marc gave an exhilarating performance, highlighting many of his new songs and humoring us with some old favorites. We loved seeing Marc on drums...very impressive and fun to watch him make his way all around the stage.
We are true fans and can't wait to see him in these parts again!
Thanks for sharing your stories and your life with us Marc!
See you again soon!
All the best,
Kris and Mike
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I am so excited to be able to submit a review of Marc's St Paul show. My husband and I saw him perform at the Fitzgerald Theater on October 30, 2007, in St Paul, Minnesota. We have seen Marc perform in and around this area close to a dozen times before over the last 15 years. And, this was by far, the best of the best. Marc played a number of tracks off his new cd, Join the Parade. And, he mixed in a good number of older tracks as well. He shared a lot of personal anecdotes between songs that made his already beautiful lyrics, even more poignant. I had never heard the story behind, "Walking in Memphis"....and didn't know that Muriel was a real woman he'd met. So, hearing his memories of that time really allowed me to hear that song with different ears and a new perspective. Same with "Miles Away." That has always been one of my husband's favorites and at the concert, Marc shared some of the frustrations he was feeling when he wrote that song. Then, listening to him perform it, I realized that I had a whole new reaction to it. A deeper understanding.
"Live out the string" is one of the most inspiring and energizing songs I've ever heard from ANY artist. He opened with that - which seemed highly fitting. Setting the bar high for an amazing evening's worth of musical gifts to his audience.
Afterward, he stayed in the lobby of the Fitz to sign copies of his cd. We waited in a long line and watched as he was personable, intimate and gracious with every single person in line. When it was our turn, he agreed to take a picture with us and he generously autographed my cd with both my name and my daughter's name. He took the time and care to make sure he spelled our names correctly and he looked directly into my eyes when I was telling him what a true honor it was to meet him in person.
It is such a warm and lovely feeling, to have someone you admire, turn out to be everything you envisioned they'd be.
I highly recommend anyone and everyone goes to see Marc perform live. And, goes to purchase his new album, Join the Parade. He is a gifted human being and has really made an imprint on my life.
Joanie T.
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If you have been lucky enough to catch one of Marc’s live performances we would love to hear about your experience.
Please take a few moments and submit a show review and let all of us know what you thought about Marc live in concert.