After a career of forty years, you’re going to know a thing or two about charming a crowd and at the Blender Theater last night Loudon Wainwright III got his game on from the get-go.
Recession, turmoil and hitting rock bottom? Wainwright didn’t sugarcoat things and his impeccably catchy opener "Times is Hard" put a smile on everyone’s face. He covered everything from Bernie Madoff, losing everything and praying for your stocks and bonds—with the hilarious refrain “All I can do is play this song” the punch line to every type of disaster that is characterizing our times.
And amidst it all, what else can one do but hit the bottle? That’s Wainwright’s vision anyway, with the next song "Heaven" proposing that our final destination is all about eating, drinking, smoking and sex. “That's right, smoking's allowed—it's what makes all those clouds,” he sang, with the audience continually enjoying his endless repertoire of cheeky observation.
Playing in a simple mauve checked shirt and beige trousers, Wainwright covered family “mother liked her white wine, when she was alive”, break-ups “I wrote that bitch Susie a song” and drugs “driving on acid is easy, driving on acid’s a breeze” throughout the performance and the 62-year-old folk legend had as much charisma on stage as anyone you’ll ever see.
And with a slide guitar, mandolin, ukulele and banjo all incorporated into the set, the folksy, rootsy, jingle-jangle splendor made for constant toe-tapping, with the funny bone continually prodded.
What made a great performance even greater though was when Wainwright asked “Is number one son in the house?” only to have Rufus emerge from the crowd for double kisses and a stirring duet late in the set.
Wainwright Senior declared that he planned “to cash in on these dark times” and if last night was any indicator of entertainment value minute for minute, he deserves to make a fortune.
