Vance Gilbert ~ 2025 October 25 ~ First Encounter Coffeehouse, Eastham, MA
Vance Gilbert, vocals and guitar.
Scroll to below video for a review of the show.
Video
Simple Things
Vance Gilbert came out on the stage with his acoustic guitar and announced to the admittedly entirely white crowd: "Hello everybody! So happy to be black -- I mean back in Eastham!" I've heard him use that gag before. Yup, the man has a good sense of humor about his choice of an entertainment career. There's a lot of jazz in that folk singer's presentation. He did mostly originals with some covers. There were pauses between the songs allowing Vance to play the comedian as well as the musician; you never quite know which audience members will be gently teased at a Vance show. Two fairly lengthy sets punctuated with a chance to grab some yummy desserts, during which time I hung out at the merch table and did my best to advise some concert goers on which CDs to buy. (I have them all.)
Vance opened the second set with the story, known to some in the audience but not all, of his recent recovery from a tumor in his throat, successfully treated without damaging his singing voice. There were very familiar songs among the two halves of the show: "Pie and Whiskey," "Unfamiliar Moon," "Zombie Paddycake" (just in time for Hallowe'en), "Goodbye Pluto," and "Old White Men," among others. The song I captured on video, "Simple Things," is his tribute to the immortal John Prine. Vance can sing like Billie Holliday or Louis Armstrong, he can sound like a trumpet, he can make you laugh, he can make you feel sad. His cover of the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance For Me" was breathtaking, showing what a beautiful voice he really has, and he told the story of how the writer of the song, Doc Pomus, had polio and was unable to dance with his bride, but asked that she save her last dance for him. Then he ended the show with the truly stirring a cappella number "King Of Rome," his cover of the song written by David Sudbury about a racing pigeon. He doesn't have much of a filter when addressing the audience. His recent recovery from throat cancer makes me happy. This is a performer like no other. He lives in Arlington, a suburb of Boston, which means he plays fairly frequently in eastern Massachusetts. Go see him perform. You won't be sorry.
The First Encounter Coffeehouse in Eastham books a series of really good folk performers during fall, winter, and spring, and although they have really odd stage lighting I'm probably the only audience member who cares, and they do have yummy refreshments for a donation. Sarah Burrill, also a performer on the local folk scene, greets you at the door and since nobody else seems to want the front row, we get the seats we want every time.