By: David de Young
 |
|
Pete Hoffman at the Varsity Theater on St. Patrick's Day - Photo by David de Young (click here for full set of photos from this show)
|
St. Patrick's Day evening at The Varsity Theater, Pete Hofmann dispensed songs both old and new in measured doses as he handed out custom-made pill bottles done up like show flyers. "Sorry, no Vicodin residue is left," he joked as he set a bottle at the edge of the stage early in the set. Later, he tossed another one long for someone to catch. Still another, he lobbed so high towards the end of the show it caught in a net hanging from the Varsity's ceiling and never came down.
These special props were just one part of what made Pete Hofmann's CD Release Party a well-planned event. 89.3 The Current sponsored the show, which doubled as a live recording session for Pete Hofmann's upcoming album (tentatively called In Measured Doses).
The house was full of fans when I arrived. Running late after missing a free St. Patrick's Day bus, I stumbled in on the 6th of 22 songs spread out across two sets. 22 songs? That's ambitious, but Hoffman has enough quality material to pull off a show of that length without much apparent filler.
I was still in time to hear the Elvis Costello-influenced "Parade Technique," one of my favorites from Hofmann's 2001 album Crawling Tall, and another of the more thoughtful songs from Hofmann's 2004 CD Mermaid on the Rocks, "She Balances," a perfect song for the weekend before the Spring Equinox which Hofmann performed on solo piano.
Despite the consistent quality of the music the show had a few awkward moments, especially between songs, and at times the show dragged a bit. This may have been partly because this was a sit-down affair, and a moat of dozens of feet separated the stage and the first table - always a tough energy gap for a performer to bridge. But I also found myself wondering why the band didn't use more of the spacious stage the Varsity offers. Surely the players, which featured drummer Steve "Izzy" Isadore, Chris Pericelli, John Eller, Tom Herbers and Mike Leonard were accomplished enough to have communicated with each other across greater distances and spread out a bit more.
 |
|
Pete Hofmann and the Measured Doses - Photo by David de Young
|
The second set started with Hofmann playing solo guitar, something I have missed seeing as he spends more and more of his gigs seated behind the piano. The second set's energy ramped up a bit in time for "Anatomy Lesson." Tom Herbers stepped back up to play guitar before "Whimpy Is On A Rampage," and backup singers Sally Cassellius and Leah Drury, Hofmann jokingly referred to as "the blondes" (despite the fact that only one of them was) took the stage. Hofmann was back at the piano for this song, which could easily be taken for a song from a music theater production. Like fellow local songwriter Ben Connelly, Pete Hofmann writes songs that are actually songs, modern standards, if you will; he pays as much attention to the details of song construction as to performance. And Hofmann has a unique performance charisma, frequently holding his free hand in the air while playing piano, like a magician about to pull a rabbit from a hat. Chris Pericelli joined the band on "Baby Are you Sad," and they followed that up with the swaying, Polynesian-hula-girl-evoking title song from Mermaid on the Rocks.
Towards the end of the set came the achy "Darling Awake," a song I think of as somewhat of an anti-lullaby, about lovers frequently apart due to work travel who spend much of their time together asleep. It is possibly one of the most beautiful and timeless songs Hofmann has written.
Hoffman announced it was time to "head home and pay up that sitter," and all the players came on stage for the final number, a short tease of "Ain't Talking 'Bout Love" by Van Halen. Not your normal rock show fare by any means, but Pete Hofmann is a Twin Cities musical treasure you should experience if you can.
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Pete Hofmann
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus