Top San Diego Theater Picks 2022-2023

I'm a little late for summarizing the best of 2023, and I skipped 2022, so I've decided to bunch some memorable entertainment into this blog as we spring into early February 2024. 

The San Diego area has a vast array of cultural venues, from comedy, traveling Broadway shows, symphony, opera, and local theater, to galleries, museums, and outdoor festivals, but theater is always a top pick for me. Here's a roundup of selected shows we enjoyed over the past two years, which you may want to see in your own community or possibly in New York. 

The Old Globe Theater is a San Diego treasure, its architecture in the style of Stratford-upon-Avon where Shakespeare was born and his plays performed. While Shakespeare takes center stage outdoors during the summer, excellent musicals and dramas can be seen on the Globe's three indoor stages all year long in Balboa Park. 

(Credit: Condé Nast Traveler)

Bob Fosse's Dancin' (June 2022) was an updated version of the original show, incorporating a variety of dance styles paying homage to the white-gloved performances Fosse originated four decades ago. The staging was an ongoing creation of exuberant performances and costumes, reminiscent of the master's jazz inspired numbers with music to match.

Come Fall In Love the DDJL musical (September 2022) was an Old Globe world premiere of a Bollywood story adapted from a beloved Indian film, a cultural phenomenon with audiences lining up daily at the box office. Acting, songs, and color-drenched sets create a mesmerizing musical infused with flashy costumes and video backdrops to establish a sense of place during the main character's travels around Europe. In the end, the throbbing score and choreography deliver a vivid cultural overlay for the girl-meets-boy tale that challenges the norm, rendering the show utterly irresistible. It's currently in development on Broadway, so watch for the opening announcement sometime this year!

Cabaret  (September 2023) was a revival of a musical that has survived the test of time, while evoking reminders of a disturbing era all too similar to today's global political climate. The Kit Kat Club, with a cast of unforgettable characters and provocative entertainment, provides a seedy setting for the story of an American writer who falls for Sally Bowles, the lead performer at the club. Sets and staging capture the ambience of pre-WWII Germany as Hitler is rising to power and characters find themselves struggling to understand the world around them. All does not end well. The Kit Kat Club becomes a microcosm that is both a reflection of and escape from the pending horrors. The Emcee, a wide-eyed flirt bubbling with glee and suggestive one-liners like  spitballs, holds the audience's attention. Sally is the lost soul whose predicament is predictable. She gives the story its heart, but also its sad ending, not unlike the fate of Germany.

Opera

El Ultimo Sueno de Frida Y Diego (Oct/Nov 2022) was a magical experience and a San Diego Opera world premiere at the San Diego Civic Theatre in 2022. The extraordinary work focused on the love story of Mexico's famed artists who were forever intertwined through art, marriage, breakups, affairs, tragedy, and more. With a nod to Mexican folklore, the memorable sets are most brilliant in their depiction of the underworld. Frida had already passed, and Diego would die soon. Despite their complicated relationship, and Diego's reputation as a controversial public figure and unfaithful partner, he longs for his beloved Frida weeks before his passing. Actors perform in a stunning glow of candlelight on three ascending levels of the stage. Their robust operatic vocals resonate to the beat of haunting orchestral accompaniment in the underworld. Despite a full season of opera in San Diego, I’ve not been a frequent patron, but couldn't miss this much praised production about two people whose lives stretched across continents and have been memorialized in exhibitions, books,  documentaries, and movies. Frida y Diego has since been performed by San Francisco and Los Angeles opera companies, both in 2023. Perhaps on its way to a venue near you?

More Theater

The Ferryman (Jan-March 2023) presented by New Village Arts  in Carlsbad Village was a calculated walk through a dark  period of modern history. The story is about the impact of The Troubles on everyday people from 1968-1994 in Northern Ireland. Told from the perspective of the Carney family, modest grain farmers, the audience bears witness to the ambiguous nature of the social and political nightmare for the majority of the population. Going about their daily tasks during this era of undercover terrorism, if someone made a wrong move or comment toward the wrong person, they could find themselves tangled in violence or worse. It was a guessing game of who's on whose side. When violence ultimately befalls the peaceful Carney home, grief, uncertainty, and despair are palpable. Ferryman is a 2019 Tony award-winning play, considered one of the major dramas of the modern era. For anyone who recalls watching IRA stories play out on TV, The Troubles were a never-ending civil war news story. I was intrigued by the play, both informative and disturbing, as it demonstrated the plight of so many people caught powerless, without the freedom to live full lives, or to plan for their futures. The direction, performances and sets at New Village Arts were Tony worthy.

42nd Street (August 2023) at Moonlight Stage Productions, a local treasure in Vista, California, was a breath of fresh air. From a tap-dancing title opener to a Lullaby of Broadway show-stopper, the performances rang with vitality and familiarity. The story is adapted from the film about a small town girl who gets her big chance on Broadway when the lead calls in sick. It's a triumphant tribute to New York that pays homage to all that American musical theater represents. The gifts of the show are legendary contributions to the Great American Songbook, i.e. I Only Have Eyes for You, Shuffle Off to Buffalo, and 42nd Street. As a childhood dancer myself, who performed in variety shows and fund-raisers as a young mom, I have a soft spot in my heart for American musicals. I was tempted to jump up from my seat to the stage, tap my feet, and kick my legs in chorus line numbers. Other memories bubbled in my head as well. The Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, dedicated solely to American musical theater, was always a treat when I lived in the area. Moonlight has a strong reputation for quality outdoor musical productions, and this one sparkled with all the right ingredients to keep the buzz alive. Don’t miss this one if it lands in your neck of the woods. 

Dia De Los Muerta

San Diego County websites have posted a flurry of celebrations starting in October and running through Sunday, November 3rd for Dia De Los Muerta, Day of the Dead, which remembers and honors loved ones who have departed. A candlelight parade next Saturday night in Old Town will wind its way through local streets to a cemetery where families have adorned gravesites with flowers, candy, photos and other mementos from the lives of those who have passed. Altars called ofrendas are created in homes as well as public venues for all to enjoy. Anyone inclined to dress for the occasion can choose a festive costume in a wide range of black (what else) options, including skirts, jackets and hats decorated with black lace and colorful flowers. The afterworld theme is repeated in ghostly white and multi-colored skulls and lanky skeletons, with artistic flair and humor on full display in the creative outfits and face paintings. Unlike more somber memorials following funerals, annual Day of the Dead events incorporate music, crafts, dance, tailgate ofrendas and joyous gatherings to celebrate the full cycle of life.

The holiday tradition originated in Mexico and South America. Official dates are October 31-Novermber 2nd. I was inspired by friends in Northern California who wanted to visit San Diego during Day of the Dead to create my own ofrenda to honor my parents whose portraits were recently completed by Amy’s husband, Dustin. Flowers, candles and tissue paper cutouts in the orange color associated with Day of the Dead make up the basic elements, along with jewelry, coins and other mementos from their lives. 

Check out this National Geographic Article  and images for more information on the holiday.
Here’s a sampling of celebrations in San Diego County:  San Diego Day of the Dead Events

An ofrenda for Marvin and Norma Hale, parents of Mila, Vicki, Gary and Lary Hale.

Summer Entertainment: Plays, Movies and A Concert

 A Thousand Splendid Suns, based on the Khaled Hosseini novel (author of Kite Runner) and produced by San Diego's Old Globe Theater, was one wallop of a drama. When a young girl in war-torn Afghanistan is told that her true love died in battle, she becomes the second wife of an older man who reminds her how lucky she is to have someone who will take care of her. However, her life is anything but lucky. With only a few props, this poignant and wrenching story unravels against

Photo: Old Globe

exquisite backdrops that nearly steal the show. Elaborate cutouts infused with creative colors and lighting tell a story of their own. An early rendering for an outdoor scene depicts the region's rugged mountain range in stark contrast to a later backdrop for a crude hospital setting. Most jarring of all, bright red splashes on a stark white background jolted me during a blood-drenched surgical procedure. Dismal scenes plunk you in the middle of the three-way marriage with wives destined to despise each other, within a country that's lost its way to terrorists who gnaw at the ancient culture and traditions. Symbolic of other chapters unfolding in the region, the play is a tribute to timely drama, wondrous staging and Khaled Hosseini.

American Mariachi was another Globe production with a new take on an old genre of music, The story features the joyful music of Mexico, a national treasure performed throughout the Southwest United States by bands of men in black sombreros and suits dripping with silver embellishments. You can imagine what happens when a group of female musicians decides to go up against the male-dominated industry to form their own band. The theme of gender equality and ownership of the music

Photo: Old Globe

is a driving force front and center, but the underlying thread is one about the impact of the music on the people who've embraced it, specifically a woman whose Alzheimer's has stolen her memory and rendered her half the person she used to be. When she hears  Mariachi music on the stereo, she's immediately transported to a happy time when she was a young girl and fell for the Mariachi musician who would become her husband. A window opens and, for a moment, she stands and dances. A smile brightens her face, aglow with joy. The female musicians are gutsy women (one is the woman's daughter) who persevere against all odds to perform the time-honored classics with triumph and flair.

Newsies at Moonlight Stage in Vista rounded out our summer season of plays with a story about real life newspaper boys who held a strike in 1899 in New York City when publishers increased the price the boys had to pay for their papers. But they didn't stop there. The rabble-rousers invited all of the kids working in underpaid jobs and some in harsh conditions throughout the city to join in the strike, which established a foundation for child labor laws. Steeped in history, this big stage musical featured a show-stopping chorus line, memorable for the newsies who performed the snappy tap dance number. During bows at the end of the show, several pulled hats off to reveal none other than pigtails! I guess the girls wanted to get in on the act too, just like girls throughout history who've disguised themselves as men to fight in wars, write novels, and do whatever they choose.

I'm a big movie fan, always ready to share a few of my favorites. Summer movies were no exception.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? is the movie that most captured my heart. It's a documentary about Fred Rogers, the host of a children's television show in the '70s and '80s. I recall watching it with my kids when they were small, and have to confess I found him a bit mushy, but the kids didn't, which comes across in the depictions of him. We see Fred in a variety of situations over his lifetime, as a gentle soul who could relate to small children, puppets, animals, and even comedians who made fun of him in TV sitcoms. One reason I think this film tops my list is because it's such a welcome contrast to what appears in the daily news and halls of Congress and the White House. So poignant and authentic, it made me weep. So kind and caring. So rare. A must see.

RBG is a close second and also a documentary, this time about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Though she is very slight physically, she stands tall among the DC types who have such loud mouths and unprincipled approaches to governing. She's intelligent, tenacious, kind, clever and whimsical as a key voice on the Court, and she's become something of a pop culture icon, held in high esteem by young people who appreciate her depth, style and pizazz and have produced RBG T-shirts. You might even say she's so authentic that you can't help but like her, regardless of her politics or yours. Honesty and perseverance are hard to beat, especially with a sprinkle of achievement, guts and humor, whch have always served her well. Check it out. You'll feel better afterward. 

For sheer fun, there were three movies in a close race for top place. All were just the right medicine for a Friday night date or girls night out.  

Photo: Oceans 8 Movie

Oceans 8
Sandra Bullock can pull off anything -- floating in space with George Clooney, adopting and raising an overweight black youth from the projects, or going undercover and being crowned Miss Congeniality for it. So how could anyone resist a female version of the guys' movie with Bullock in the lead, and Kate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway as her co-conspirators? May daughter and I saw it together, but she was resistant at first. She later agreed it was a great ride. This film is just as much fun as it sounds. I don't remember the details (they're not really important), but you get the idea if you saw any of the Oceans movies, beginning with Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford, and updated by George Clooney and Matt Damon. The women deliver with panache, style and enough balls to play with the big guys. The story was all that I wanted it to be, with plenty of intrigue and twists from some of my favorite actresses. At least a few are in roles like we've never seen them before, which makes it all the more fun.

Mama Mia Here We Go Again  
This time we return to the Greek island where the party music and performances are amplified a few notches higher than the original movie (2008) starring Meryl Streep as Donna and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Now grown up, Sophie invites everyone back to the Hotel Bella Donna for an anniversary celebration (Donna already died). Newcomer Lily James (Downton Abbey) plays the young Donna (Merly Streep character) in a backstory that retraces her youthful visit to the island where she gave birth to her daughter and took over the hotel named for her. While the first movie had everything going for it (three possible dads) and the replay was destined to be a hit, Lily James enters and knocks it out of the ballpark. Rippling with talent, she puts fizz and verve into the role and Abba dance numbers. You can't help but fall in love with her. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard deliver a bit older fatherly good looks with charm and finesse. Cher in a white-and-gold dazzling costume (what else?) enters to perform a show-stopping moment, Meryl Streep returns as a spirit, and Andy Garcia teases throughout, until his long lost love reappears as guess who? 

Crazy Rich Asians
If I could award only one movie for most entertaining it would be this one. Casting, story (romantic comedy), sets and originality, this movie had everything going for it in the world class city of Singapore. The producers took full advantage of the modern architecture and landscape in the urban center, with unique light shows, water features, outrageous gardens, river setting, underground food courts, and ethnic neighborhoods. Lavish mansion showplaces provided the gamut of styles from sophisticated to garish. Characters were drawn in full technicolor, from the brightest to the dullest, the most crass to the most stern, and the most proper to the most flawed. This was the story of true love winning the day, despite the expectations of class, culture and wealth displayed as only Hollywood can. And for someone who's traveled to Singapore to witness the natural and man-made beauty of this Asian nation, I felt the movie was a love letter to the city -- sealed with a kiss. 

The Jackson Brown Concert 
I saved the best for last. This concert at the Greek Theater in LA was an unexpected delight.

Photo: YouTube.com

I was staying with friends in LA who'd gotten tickets to the concert and invited me to come along. I was embarrassed to admit I didn't know his music, but was told I probably knew the songs, but didn't know the name of the guy writing and singing all those hits. And of course that was true. The playlist that night was 24 songs long...from You Love the Thunder, Lives in the Balance, and These Days, to Somebody's Baby (he played this one for his shrink, who told him it was a hit, but Jackson didn't believe him), The Pretender, Running on Empty and Take It Easy (Eagles cover).

There was a strong vibe in the air, like a soothing balm that permeated the audience, for the hometown boy who shared stories about his songs and growing up in Southern California. The music is hard to deny...sometimes sad, sometimes happy, upbeat or nostalgic. But it's more than the music. What makes the artist Jackson Brown so human and so likable is his underlying compassion and concern for people and our planet. Follow the link to his website and learn about the awards he's received for his commitment to critical causes. See the concerts that are performed for people in Haiti, refugees, and others suffering globally. "Music Heals" says it all.

After seeing Bob Dylan perform a couple of years ago at the Greek in Berkeley, I was struck by the difference in these two artists' performance styles. Brown has an amazing connection with his audience. Dylan never says a word, not even when I saw him in 1967 in Louisville. Brown gave the sense he was having a good time, and he wanted us to enjoy the evening with him. He dropped a few comments about politics and other topics, as well. The audience loved it!

This generous entertainer with a "take it easy" style, delivered a near perfect performance in the charming hillside venue, a hidden gem in LA. Thank you, Jackson Brown, for hanging around so long and for giving all that you give.

Escape to Jimmy Buffet Play at La Jolla Playhouse

Escape to Margaritaville, the new musical in a world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse, is all you'd expect from a Jimmy Buffet-inspired show, plus some. The moment you arrive at the theater tucked in the woods, you're greeted by Adirondack chairs, colorful island decor, and a tiki-inspired bar inviting you to relax with a margarita. No surprise when the action on stage features a resort paradise on a remote island in the middle of an idyllic ocean. American tourists leave the cold weather and job demands at home to live it up in the warm waters and sunny shores of Margaritaville, which turns out to be a real destination and way of life in addition to a state of mind. 

The opening number sets the tone. Around the festive resort bar, an ensemble of talented performers in island garb bid farewell to departing patrons and serve up drinks for the new group checking in. A smooth-talking, guitar-picking crooner named Tully, played by Paul Alexander Nolan (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and Jesus Christ Superstar at LJ Playhouse and Bright Star on Broadway), charms the ladies into romantic antics at the beginning of the week and lets them down easy to fly home at the end. But it's Tully who gets caught in his own trap when he meets Rachel, the smarty-pants scientist from Cincinnati played by Alison Luff (Broadway revival of Le Miserables and national tour of Wicked). Traveling with a girlfriend who's working up to a case of cold feet about her pending nuptials, Rachel first dismisses Tully, but eventually cozies up to him for a week of island bliss. In a stark reversal of roles, he's left adrift when she departs. You'll have to buy a ticket to learn how all of that works out or not. 

The score provides plenty of tunes to satisfy Buffet parrot heads and novices alike, including classics like "Margaritaville" at the end of the first act, "Let's Get Drunk," "Son of a Sailor" and "Come Monday." A zombie ensemble (yes) makes a surprise entrance to dial up the story in a slower-paced Act I, and returns with a a show-stopping, tap-dancing chorus line number in the much faster-paced Act II with the island erupting in a crisis. Tully faces a dilemma that destroys his laid back lifestyle and causes him to question where he's headed.

A collaboration between La Jolla Playhouse Artistic Director Christopher Ashley and Jimmy Buffet, the show announced in January that it would launch a Broadway run in 2018, after stops in New Orleans, Houston and Chicago. Don your Tommy Bahama shirt or floral sundress and check out Tully and the gang before they leave La Jolla Playhouse on the UCSD campus. Escape to Margaritaville could be the antidote for all that ails you, as long as you don't expect anything slightly serious to spoil the fun.

The Sounds of Summer: The Dylan Concert

Bob Dylan at the Berkeley Greek Theater

June 16 marked a special day on our family calendar this year, since Dan would be celebrating his 75th birthday. But he wasn't alone. In May, Bob Dylan would also turn 75, so what better way to commemorate the two milestones than to attend a Dylan concert? And while we were at it, why not turn the event into a trip? That's exactly what happened when we bought tickets to hear the 60s bard at the Berkeley Greek Theater. It was the start of a summer of memorable music.

First stop, an AirBnB place in Santa Cruz, that island of 60s nostalgia along the Pacific shore an hour south of San Francisco where you're likely to spot a VW van painted in colorful psychedelic designs. Our sunny room opened onto a spacious deck that overlooked an outdoor aviary, rambling gardens bursting with exotic plants, and a circular paved labyrinth embedded with artistic tiles. After checking in, we meandered to downtown Santa Cruz where a Bernie Sanders group marched along a leafy commercial avenue, and street musicians sang and performed with steel guitars, a washboard, and additional instruments. A gallery opening beckoned us to admire beautifully crafted pottery, glass, and paintings while a more modest shop displayed healthy gourmet products and crafts produced by homeless people. Lillian's Italian Kitchen, in a converted warehouse with a modern vibe, served generous portions of fine dining cuisine, the nightcap to a perfect day.

The next morning, we flew from Oakland to Portland for a visit with Dan's brother, Tom, and his wife, Nickie. In June, their delightful home in the small town of Forest Grove features a double lot ripe with delicious summer harvest -- berries, veggies, and greens, which we were delighted to sample at every meal. Day two we visited Nickie's downtown condo, in the Portland walking neighborhood called ABC. The summer weather enticed us to wander and explore thrift stores in the quaint urban setting. The warm breezy night led us to a sidewalk cafe for a tasty dinner before we returned to Oakland the next morning.

Before the concert, Carlsbad neighbors Lynne and Paul picked us up from our AirBnB room at a lovely home in a tree-lined neighborhood of Berkeley to chauffeur us to the downtown Shattuck Hotel for a birthday toast and appetizers. The art deco landmark features arched, paned windows, rich wood carvings, and a black-and-white tiled floor. At concert time, we Ubered our way up the hill to the classical  outdoor amphitheater where the harmonica/guitar/piano-playing legend took center stage.

I first heard Bob Dylan during college days in Louisville, when he performed with the harmonica hung on his neck and the criticism, escapism, and politics of the 60s woven through his lyrics, i.e. The Times They Are A Changing and Mr. Tambourine Man. About ten years ago, he caught my attention again with a Grammy-winning album, "Modern Times," which we loved to play on the road, during cross-country and Canada RV travel. The more current selections reveal a maturity and spirituality that was unexpected, given the fate of so many 60s performers who've faded in and out of the popular music scene. The CD revitalized Dylan's career as a master storyteller and musician, this time with a wistful yearning and appreciation for all that life has given and taken. In a 2015 AARP article he offered as an exclusive, Bob Dylan: The Uncut Interview, he says passion is for the young; wisdom for the old.

That night in Berkeley, the old sage entertained with American songbook standards, What'll I Do?, Autumn Leaves, Love Sick; few old tunes, i.e. Blowin' in the Wind; and one of my favorites, Spirit on the Water, from "Modern Times." The raspy voice adds to the legitimacy of a man who's traveled the long and winding road to share the regrets and riches of a life lived fully. The stance is firm, legs stiff and feet far apart, to sink into the words of a song. You never get the feeling that Dylan is anywhere except in the heart of the music. At the piano, he seemed to relish countless numbers, giving an impression that he could go on forever. Who knew he could play so well and for so long, with a small band for backup? I'd been a casual observer, not a devoted fan, so this was a treat, especially on the slower Sinatra tunes, to whom and to which he pays homage in the AARP interview.

And who would've guessed he stowed away so much from a six-decade career, to document the arc of the artist? In March, before concert tickets were purchased, the New York Times ran a feature story and half-page photo about Bob Dylan's Archive. A very private person, he not only acquired a mountain of memorabilia, but he chose the University of Tulsa as its final resting place, alongside Woody Guthrie's archive. What better way to display the voice of the 60s generation than to couple it with the voice of the Dust Bowl era?

Dylan continues to draw flocks of pilgrims, old and young, to what has been called "the never-ending tour." How lucky were we, under the starry starry night of a Greek amphitheater in Northern California, to revisit our own history through Bob Dylan's music? A night to celebrate a special birthday, a seasoned artist, and a walk down memory lane, complete with the people and places of our own past that the music evokes.

February/March 2015 AARP Magazine

Touched by the Blues: Keb Mo Style

Late Wednesday afternoon I read online that Keb Mo (Kevin Moore) was playing Friday night at the Balboa Theater in San Diego. Fast, I checked with Ticketmaster and Dan, and purchased two seats for what promised to be our birth of the blues with Keb Mo, who is celebrating his twelfth full-length album and the twentieth anniversary of a musical career he launched as Keb Mo. Last summer, before a trip to Memphis and Nashville, I discovered the Blues Americana album on his website. On his home page was a YouTube video in which he played the guitar and sang a song from the album: "Old Me Better" with the California Feetwarmers. Instant infatuation took over. I was hooked on this singer/songwriter musician. Click here to see what I mean: Old Me Better

Photo: La Jolla Music Society

"I like taking it slow," the tall Los Angeles native in a casual suit and hat said in his low velvet voice. That was near the beginning of the show, which lasted nearly two hours straight. The tempo picked up as the night settled in. Half a dozen small square panels, each with a grid of bulbs, hung from the lower back wall of the stage to flicker and switch night club colors with each song. Newbies to a Keb Mo concert, we didn't know what to expect, but the easy-going style of this seasoned performer lulled us into blues euphoria. The music matches the man, a treasure to behold, with three Grammys and assorted awards for further proof.

Slower numbers dominated the first half of the show as he twirled on a low stool for guitar changes on the bare bones stage, except for additional instruments and equipment. Faster tempos picked up the speed for the second half as Keb Mo stood. The three musicians who complete his four-man ensemble joined him. At one point early on, he smiled and said, "now we're getting into my personal stuff." What you quickly learn about the artist is that he writes and sings about everyday life as he experiences and observes it -- relationships, people, challenges, and pursuits. When asked in an interview about his mix of blues with other genres, he explained that he only has two genres -- "what I like and what I don't like." He adapts whatever musical style works for the lyrics and melody. The storytelling comes from an authentic, honest place, which he shares in the introductions to lyrics printed for the Blues Americana album. The playful humor is irresistible in his songs and comes across in the asides to a grateful audience. His BIO describes Keb Mo's unique style and popularity best: his combination of masterful, anecdotal writing skills, distinctive guitar versatility and rich, resonant blues-soaked vocals are a testament to his longevity as a singer/writer.

Older songs in the Friday night program included (in no particular order):

"More Than One Way Home," about the people and places he knew growing up in Compton, California.

"She Just Wants to Dance," about a girl whose moves are for the music, not for hanky panky.

"Shave Yo Legs," about a guy who wants the girl to be herself, wild and free, not wear makeup or read the magazines (you already know how to get to me), and you don't need to shave yo legs for me. This song drew plenty of giggles from the sellout crowd.

"One Friend," about the need for that one person who stands by you and never lets you down.

"Suitcase," about baggage and complaints in a marriage, being shown the door, and begging to stay.

Newer songs from the "Blues Americana" album included: 

"Old Me Better:" about the humorous yearning for life before commitments to marriage and family.

"The Worst Is Yet to Come," about sticking with marriage when things get hard, and understanding the meaning of the words you heard at the wedding -- "for better or worse."

"Somebody Hurt You," reassuring the girl that she's been through a lot, but those hardships are behind her, she can let them go, because the guy's there to protect her now.

"So Long Goodbye," about the end of a relationship and the regrets that go with it.

The performance wound down with an encore of still more numbers, and closed with Keb Mo's rendition of "God Bless America," followed by the audience singing the traditional version to the accompaniment of the band. A fitting end to a thrilling concert that showcased the considerable talents of a gifted performer.

Photo: kebmo.com