Phil Vassar
Joe's Bar, Chicago, IL
September 16, 2005
I took a quick trip to Chicago to take in Phil Vassar at Joes Bar. I don't think there is anyone better at taking control of a stage and using every spare inch of it. He had the crowd as soon as the notes of his opening song began to play. He sang: "I'll Take that As A Yes", "Carlene", "Six pack Summer", "Paradise", "America" segue to "American Child", "Real Love", "Rodeo", "Good Ole Days", "My Next 30 Years", "Amazing Grace", The Band Series :"All Night Long", "Great Balls of Fire", "Like About You", "Jenny, 8765309", Then back to the man: "That's When I love You, "Alright", "Joe and Rosalita" "Workin' for a Living", "Piano Man", "Dark Side", "Jump", "I want you to Want Me", "Funky Music", "Leave your Hat On". Nobody left during this sold out show... I just wish it had gone all night.
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Phil gave out extra hugs and kisses when he found out we made the trip just for the night to see him.
Georgia Theatre, Athens, GA
Jan 26, 2005
This was an incredible show. From the first moment that Phil Vassar took the stage until the last note was played, the crowd was high energy. Phil played to the crowd in this tiny standing room only venue. He played all of his hits and those he wrote for others and then started in on covers. The set list went as follows: Take That As A Yes, Paradise, That's When I love You, Six Pack Summer, American Child, Vegas, Real Love, Joe & Rosalita, For a Little While, Black and Whites, 30 Years, I'm Alright, Jeff/Matt/Clay/Jake, Rose Bouquet, Good Old Days, Carlene Encore: Piano Man, Keep Your Hat on, Workin'. Well, That's what the set list said anyway. He was right on track through the encore. Jeff/Matt/Clay/Jake was the spotlight on the band with different songs (including You Shook Me All Night Long) played by each. When the encore started, Phil got the crowd going, well, kept the crowd going, by appearing in a Georgia Bulldogs shirt and hat. That just raised the level of excitement in the room. He played Piano Man and about an hour later ended with Keep Your Hat On. This guy has such an amazing energy and a talent for playing the crowd. After Piano Man, he played Athens Grease in honor of the town it was written for. Then there was a grouping of songs that I couldn't even keep track of but included Phil's rendition of Billie Jean (not to be missed). He played Workin' for a Living, Leave Your Hat On, and finished with Bye-Bye (recorded by Jo Dee Messina), Phil and the band just looked like they were having too much fun to quit.
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Copyright ©2005 Susan Krueger. All Rights Reserved.