Welcome to the pond

I went to see the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band last night, and it was great! I went with my mom and my buddy Mike who both enjoyed the concert too. The concert venue (a former church) was maybe half full. The lower level appeared to be fairly full, or at least 3/4 full. The balcony was only 1/4 full. That's where we sat, front row! There was a railing blocking part of my view, but not bad overall.

The band played a lot of dance music. A few waltzes, many two steps, even a few blues numbers. The lineup was Michael Doucet on fiddle, Marc Savoy on Acadian accordion, and Ann Savoy on rhythm guitar and most vocals. A couple of the numbers featured Michael on fiddle and Ann on triangle. Michael got to sing a few songs, and some verses in other songs. That was a real treat because he's such a great singer. I'm not a huge fan of Ann's recorded voice, but in a live setting it really works better than you'd think. She has a very special personality and brings a lot of energy to her singing and playing. She also did most of the talking through the night, with Marc telling a few jokes and Michael saying a few things too. Michael really seems to enjoy his role in the band. He doesn't have to be the frontman like he is in BeauSoleil, and that must be a welcome relief for him.

I don't know all the titles of the songs they played, and I don't think it matters anyway. What does matter is that all the songs were enjoyed. I recognized a few of the songs from BeauSoleil albums. Michael even played a fiddle-and-triangle version of "Me and Dennis McGee." I loved hearing that because it was very different from the full band version I'm familiar with, and because BeauSoleil didn't play it when I saw them last year.

They played for just over an hour and a half, and after the show much of the crowd went to the "living room" area of the building for drinks, merchandise-purchasing and talking with the band. I got to briefly speak with Michael and even got my picture taken with him! That's the second time I've met him. I'm always intimidated meeting these folks. I almost feel like I'm taking up their time by talking to them. I really shouldn't feel like that because they're just regular people like me, but I suppose it's because I have so much respect for them.

The evening was just awesome and I really enjoyed myself. Michael played his fiddle so well! It's amazing the number of sounds and styles he can bring out of it. He doesn't just play, he puts his personality and mood and feelings into it, and what he puts into it comes out as music. Hopefully this won't be the last time I see him perform. I'll keep checking the schedule and see if he comes back with BeauSoleil soon!