Greg Brown

August, 1998 festival show review by Kate Rice with a photo by Melissa Henke

There's one artist who has been at the Festival all three years I've attended, and that's because he is the Lyons Folks Festival. Greg Brown is the crowd favorite, every year. He strolls onto the stage dressed in a tank top, overalls and sunglasses (yes, even at night) and owns the park!

This year, he started his performance with the song "Early." If memory serves, there was a little girl in the crowd named after that song. He sings it every year, and I never get tired of hearing it. Also present from years gone by was the song "Happy By Myself." The story he told in the middle was different, though.

That's the charm of a Greg Brown performance -- the stories. He is, in the truest sense, a folk singer. His stories are told between songs as well as during, and have the audience laughing, cheering -- you name it. Whatever Greg wants from the crowd, he gets.

This year, Greg had guitarist Nina Gerber playing along, and it was a great addition to the show! I especially loved that her attitude and attire were so casual. As the show went on, more instruments and voices were added. By the end, Karen Savoca was with him on stage, singing and playing her conga!

Although Greg Brown lent his rough gravelly voice to a slow song or two of his own, the end was a riot of covers! A bluesey/folky "Summertime," and my personal favorite, "Fever." Finally, for his much-deserved encore, Greg and company sang a cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Maybe not, but with Greg's shows, you just might find you get what you need.