It seems
that wherever Billy Bragg goes, a crowd gathers. The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH was packed
full of Bragg’s socially-conscious fans on Saturday night (6/30/12), all eager to
see the legendary British protest singer-songwriter up close and personal. The Music Hall’s “Intimately Yours” backdrop
seemed to emphasize Bragg’s minimal yet effective stage setup consisting of two
amps, a guitar, a chair, a stand, and a microphone. The essential tools for Bragg’s performance
seemed within themselves, revolutionary.
Bragg was
greeted enthusiastically by his fans, and spent over two hours performing a
unique two set show. His first set
celebrated the life and work of the great Woody Guthrie, while the second set
was quintessentially Billy Bragg. What
tied the two sets together was Bragg’s left of center sense of humor and, his
storytelling dialogue between each song.
Highlights
from the Guthrie set:
Black Wind Blowing – This eerie song sent chills down
my spine painting a dark tonal picture of 1930s dust bowl great depression
America.
I Suddenly Got The Blues – Bragg plucked this old song out of
obscurity and played it bottleneck style!
Highlights
from the Bragg set:
There is Power in a Union – Bragg stated, “if you want to
change anything in society, you’ve got to organize.” This was a crowd favorite that seemed to
electrify the air.
The Great Leap Forward – This is a classic Bragg song, and
looking around the room, everyone was singing along to it.
When it
comes to political singer-songwriters, some do it better than others. Bragg has the remarkable ability of spreading
his message in a compassionate non-douchebaggary way that is honest, funny, and
entertaining. Not many artists out
there, that are part of the social democratic movement, have the ability to juggle
both music and message without debunking themselves as egocentrics who actually believe they poop rainbows.
Bragg has something they don’t.
Balls.
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