A reflection on Eric Bibb’s Calvin performance
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
From Ryan Alons, the SAO student worker:
I speak as a blue outsider here. On average I listen to late aughts alternative music, which has taken an ironic position. Parody everything and believe nothing. Snark has replaced honesty. It isn’t hip-moustache anymore. It isn’t cool to string out the soul on a guitar. Vampire Weekend has been one of the biggest bands of 2010 (it has been a long year already!). What do they sing about? How tight their diamond slippers are?
So for me it was great to see an experienced blues man get on the stage and shoot straight. Cheesy lines such as “my favorite pocket/ you know the one I’m thinking of/ I’ve got a pocket in my heart for your love” caught my attention, not because I had to shoulder a scoff, but because I was convinced of the honesty of the line. His
Then there was this line that ignited something huge: “If God saved Daniel from the Lion’s Den/ why doesn’t he save everyman.”
While the bubbly Eric Bibb of ‘Pockets’ was still present on the stage, he suddenly became the dynamic troubled Christian, unsure yet confident. It is unusual for an artist to find inspiration from every aspect of the human experience, and touch every respective joy and tragedy equally. In fact his level disposition gave me the strength to mull over powder keg questions along with him.
Eric Bibb asks questions, but provides us answers as well. He is not a man holding some book; he is a man whose life is a book. And he is still writing new songs! Booker’s Guitar was an excellent blues album that dropped this year!
Is it a blues thing to be so broad and honest about everything? I’d love to hear you blues experts out there give me a line! Why do artists now days have to get so specialized about a subject? What was your reaction to the show Tuesday? Is there anyone who didn’t like it? What am I missing?
So ... what do you think? Anything to add?
1 comment on "A reflection on Eric Bibb’s Calvin performance"
I’ve been an Eric Bibb fan for a few years now but this is the first time I’ve been able to hear him live. His performance absolutely blew me away. Musically, he was fantastic throughout the whole concert. And you’re right, Ryan-with some of his songs, the lyrics are more bubbly and can be interpreted as cliché, but as you mentioned, he’s an artist whose integrity comes through with every line; you can tell that he actually means what he sings. A song like “I Heard the Angels Singing” shouldn’t work musically-the whole song consists of only a few chords. But the depth of the lyrics and the conviction with which Bibb delivers them makes it one of his best songs (in my book anyway).
And what was just as awesome to witness was how humble and friendly he is; it was clear that he’s someone who appreciates and loves his fans. During the concert, Bibb invited the audience to sing and clap along to several songs and he responded warmly to audience feedback whether it was a question between songs or during a song to shout “Glory!” or “Alright!” And afterward, during the discussion with him he was really genuine and sweet. Before his encore, Bibb let us know that it was a special night for him, too: “I’m gonna remember this one; I’m gonna have a special pocket.”
Here’s a quote about his music that I read somewhere and really love: “His music is often described as blues, and that’s certainly one source he knows well. Like Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder though, he also draws on gospel, jazz, and soul and weaves all those deep roots together into something both fresh and timeless. When he sings, it is very clear indeed that when you get deep inside the spirit of music, there’s no need to choose or to worry about a name for it anymore.” I love that Eric Bibb’s music doesn’t fit into one neat box, but rather is something that is influenced by and borrows from various genres under the umbrella of folk music. As Bibb said on NPR this past weekend, “Music is a fluid thing that disrespects boundaries, and I think we’ve gotten too used to categorizing music.”
I wrote a review of the concert for Chimes. A friend of mine told me that I wasn’t quite as critical as he would have liked, but I told him that there wasn’t much to be critical of—it was truly an amazing performance. The only thing about the concert that disappointed me was the poor turnout; I feel like a lot of people in the Calvin community don’t know Bibb’s music, which is sad in itself—I wish more people had given it a chance. Where else will you ever get to see an act like Eric Bibb for $5?
Jen Bengtson