Don McLean has been a successful singer-songwriter for 42 years with over 30 albums to his name so doesn’t have too much to prove especially to the fans, mainly of a certain age, who had turned out on a wet Wednesday night to hear live (and not cheap) music. There’s no glitz, no glamour, no shiny suits and smoke screens (not very Usher Hall anyway); just the man himself and his own brand of sensitive yet muscular music with his quietly consummate accompanying four piece band of bass and lead guitar, drums and piano/keyboard that have been playing together for gey near 20 years. (Sorry, guys, no names in programme or site.)
The evening kicked off with McLean’s version of Buddy Holly’s Well, All Right, Every Day and Peggy Sue Got Married that he managed to merge seamlessly in to one tight, steady song.
In fine voice, he moved easily to a Country and Western tribute set that included his moving song of fraternity, Homeless Brother but there was a slight sense at this point of an old priest hurrying through Mass. No need to worry about lack of patter though, because after a beautifully sung And I love you so, McLean gave gracious thanks to this audience, acknowledging the importance and relevance of their making the effort to get out and hear the reality of a live human being perform on stage.
In his own words, I’ve Grown Old Missing You is a real weepy ‘2am radio song’ and shows the essential Don McLean – thoughtful and quietly passionate. In McLean’s case, his long and sensitive story songs are a speciality and his Vincent with its wafting, poetic ‘snowy linen land’, which apparently is played every morning at the opening of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, was a fine close-to-penultimate first half song.
He brings his unique take to Chet Atkins, with a smooth smoky room version of I Can’t Help it if I’m Still in Love With You and of course his heart rending version of the Roy Orbison classic, Crying is poignancy itself.
The second half of the concert opened in rocking style and moved easily through to a piano accompanied philosophical ballad that followed Have you seen me?, a song about missing children to the political Miner’s union song and the sentimental Mountains of Mourne, that the audience accompanied in that maudlin way that the song demands. Magdalene Lane with the gorgeous line ‘Angels are lost in the city of stars’ featured too and though a natural and unpretentious performance, hints at the subtle planning of the repertoire.
McLean’s 21 year old daughter Jackie joined him on stage and with a strong but appealingly untutored voice that sounded peculiarly Scottish with a wee gallus tip to it, sang You Belong to Me then a duet with her Daddy of the lovely waltz, Are you Lonesome Tonight? What a wonderful experience for a young lass! An American Pie finale had this adoring audience on its feet.
Don McLean managed to create intimacy in the barn that is the Usher Hall and his ideals restored faith in the existence of the quiet, modest and thoughtful American.
Show dates
23rd June: Liverpool
24th June: Nottingham
26th June: Glastonbury