Poco Featuring Rusty Young
08 November 2017
Soiled Dove Underground, Lowry, CO
The Soiled Dove Underground is located literally where I used to park my car when I attended tech school for the Air Force 29 years earlier, at the now-decommissioned Lowry Air Force Base, CO. The area still has remnants (buildings, a museum, etc.) from days gone by; yet much of the area, including a Safeway, a tavern, and this ~300-seat basement concert venue almost completely hide the historical landscape appearance of yester-decades. Naturally a mild level of emotions accompanied this trip to the Denver area, not just for myself, but I trust also for bandleader Rusty Young, who attended Lincoln High School a few miles west of Lowry.
Billed as "Poco Featuring Rusty Young", the band comprises exactly the same Poco lineup performing in recent years: Rusty, Jack Sundrud, Michael Webb, and relative newcomer, ex-Burrito Brother drummer Rick Lonow, who by the way co-wrote the set's lead-off track. The addition of ".....Featuring Rusty Young" reflects the very recent release of Rusty's first ever solo CD, Waitin' For The Sun, which interestingly still features all four current, and even some past, members of Poco! But hey, what better band could back up a Rusty Young solo endeavor?
After "Call It Love", the well-rehearsed foursome then confidently and joyfully dove right into the title track from their 2013 CD, All Fired Up.
"Rose Of Cimarron" sounded more like the 1976 studio version than any previous live version I'd heard in the last 25 years.
Perhaps not surprisingly, though nevertheless delightfully, founding father Richie Furay joined the band on the stage for perfect-vocal versions of "Pickin' Up The Pieces", "Child's Claim To Fame", and "Kind Woman". Richie stayed on stage to add harmonies live, just as he did in the studio, to Rusty's new song "My Friend".
An obnoxious fan yelled out "Play something snappy!" to which Rusty and band gleefully met the challenge with Rusty's "Gonna Let The Rain".
After three in a row from platinum-selling Legend ("Spellbound", Cajun-styled, Sundrud-vocalized, "Heart Of The Night", and "Crazy Love"), Poco featured two more from All Fired Up, a standing-ovation performance of the hard-country version of Jack's "Hard Country", and Michael's "That's What Rock & Roll Will Do".
Continuing promotion of his new CD, Rusty and band performed the title track.
Richie re-joined the stage for "Good Feeling To Know" and Timothy B. Schmit's "Keep On Tryin'", and during the vocal phrase, "I've been drinkin' now, just a little too much," Pastor Richie Furay smiled and waved an innocent container of bottled water.
The concert ended at a fan-friendly 8:55 P.M.!
The respective wives of Rusty Young and Richie Furay hosted the merchandise booths, and between them and the band members, I sensed an overall very positive vibe, free of tension, and full of comfort/satisfaction for where these people are today.
[**** 1/2] - Steven T.