All in all, it was a quiet, introspective set, offset by the obvious camaraderie between the two singers–who seemed like sisters in many ways.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, left and Shawn Colvin.
NORTHAMPTON – It may have been billed as a girls' night out, but the guys at Friday night's Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin concert at Northampton's Calvin Theatre seemed to have just as great a time.
The pair–who are longtime friends–mesmerized and tickled the packed house with excellent music and amusing exchanges.
Taking the stage to a rousing round of applause, the duo slid gently into slow version of Donovan's "Catch the Wind," which showcased how well their voices melded in two-part harmony.
"That was an old Donovan song, filled with longing and heartache," Colvin said. "So it kind of sets the tone for the evening."
Carpernter's "This Shirt" followed, featuring a subtly strong by her–Colvin adding airy harmonies on the chorus. The chunky rhythm of Colvin's "Polaroids" provided a nice balance to her angelic vocal.
Describing the show as akin to listening to friends sing sitting around in a living room, Colvin said if they were in Carpenter's living room, there would be one big difference.
"We'd be in our pajamas," Carpenter chimed in.
"At 4 o'clock," Colvin deadpanned.
While the show was just 15 songs plus an encore, the banter almost doubled the time of what the show would have been had it been the songs alone. While a lot of the chat was comic in nature, Carpenter introduced a new song, "Chasing What's Already Gone," as coming from the past few years when she lost a parent, suffered an illness, and got divorced.
A cover of Greg Brown's "One Cool Remove" was somber and poignant and the arpeggiated intro of Colvin's "Shotgun Down the Avalanche" drew immediate applause.
The song also showcased some beautifully woven and intricate finger-picking between the two women.
All in all, it was a quiet, introspective set, offset by the obvious camaraderie between the two singers–who seemed like sisters in many ways–and their clear affection for the audience.
Much of the stage talk centered around getting older. (Colvin is 57; Carpenter, 55.) Carpenter led into "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" with a story about a grocery checkout cashier who kept trading looks with her, and finally when Carpenter's "heart was a all a-flutter," he said, "My grandmother loves you."
The covers worked well mixed in with the originals, particularly Steve Earle's "Someday" and Neil Finn's "Four Seasons in One Day."
Other highlights included Carpenter's "Solitude"– a tale of longing for space and silence and Colvin's "Change is on the Way." A new Carpenter song, "Hand on My Back," drew the biggest response of the night.
Carpenter's "The Hard Way" ended the regular set to a big response as the pair left the stage to a standing ovation. Less than 45 seconds layer, they returned for a five song encore that kicked off with a haunting version of The Beatles' "I'll Be Back" followed by "When Sunny Gets Blue." The night rounded out with "Come On, Come On," "I Feel Lucky" and ended with Merle Haggard's "That's the Way Love Goes."