McLean played a energetic 90-minute set to a medium-sized but enthusiastic crowd.
Don McLeanAbout a decade ago, Don McLean seemed to have grown weary of performing—or even being asked about—his 1971 smash hit, "American Pie."
"I know it's a cynical thing to say, but I am so tired of American Pie," McLean said to the U.K newspaper, The Scotsman, in 2000. One could hardly blame him for this cynicism. The song has taken on almost mythic proportions over the past 40-plus years and it's doubtful McLean could leave a concert hall unscathed if he ever refused to perform it.
But on Sunday night at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, there seemed to be no trace of ennui with that tune, or any others, as McLean played a energetic 90-minute set to a medium-sized but enthusiastic crowd.
When one is reviewing what could be considered a nostalgia act, one thing to look for is this: Is the artist simply cashing in on previous fame, or is he or she sincerely breathing life into classics? Based on Sunday's show, McLean falls squarely into latter category. Both by his attention to detail and his remarks to the audience, the singer-songwriter clearly wanted to put on stellar show.
This striving for excellence was on display immediately. The first two songs were a little rough, with McLean's singing sounding a bit strained. This might have been due to his monitor mix, which he asked to changed several times over the first few tunes. By the third song, the richly textured ballad, "Winterwood," things seem to have been sorted, and the singer and band coalesced nicely from there on out. McLean also appeared more relaxed, introducing the song by saying it was the first track on the second side of the "American Pie" album, "back when they had sides."
The haunting country jaunt of "Homeless" came next, followed by his classic "And I Love You So," which has been recorded by numerous artists over the years. The beautiful and breezy "Castles in the Air" showed off the seamless tightness of McLean's four-piece backing band.
McLean also joked about being old by saying, "I'm 66 and let me tell you, it sucks. If you're younger enjoy it, and wear your seatbelt. And don't smoke."
Other highlights of the evening included "Jerusalem" and "Passion." As the show drew near to its closing, McLean pulled out his other oft-covered hit, "Vincent." After a few more solid tunes, including a nice cover of Roy Orbison's "Crying," McLean served up the savory slice the crowd had been awaiting: "American Pie."
While McLean invited the audience to sing along on the chorus, the crowd was not to be denied, and basically sang every word to the classic hit. To his credit, McLean didn't hold the song out for some stilted encore, and in fact, didn't even do an encore, but rather just ended the night with a pretty, twilit bluesy number, "If I Hadn't Met You."