I love Boston in the springtime. The Red Sox were playing that night, so we had to wade through thousands of excited baseball fans on the streets around Fenway Park to get to the club. The sweet smell of grilled onions from several sausage vendors wafted down Lansdowne Street. But we’re not here for baseball... we're here to see the acts on the VH1 You Oughta Know Tour.

Rocco DeLuca and the Burden were first to take the stage. Rocco expertly handles his Dobro resonator guitar, which provides the corner-stone for this group’s rootsy sound. Hearing them perform material from their debut album “I Trust You to Kill Me” was a real treat. I look forward to seeing them again (soon).

We briefly got to meet the band following their performance. Security was moving people along quickly, so we didn’t get to talk for long, but I did have a chance to compliment Dave Beste on his Les Paul bass. I haven’t seen many of those used on stage.

When I heard The Feeling start to play, I immediately thought that they sounded a bit like Queen or The Beatles… so I found it amusing when I later read their MySpace profile and read that those are two of their influences. Their performance was very upbeat, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it very much.

Headlining the tour was Mat Kearney. First of all, big kudos to the lighting guy… the lights played a big part in enhancing the moods set by the music. Mat Kearney is a talented performer, playing both guitar and keyboards during the set. His performance was very compelling, and his comfort level on the stage in front of an audience is apparent... he knows how to work a room.

As we left the sold-out show, and looked up at Fenway’s Green Monster, we could hear the baseball fans cheering… the Red Sox were winning. With our exposure to music from some up and coming bands, some new CDs in our bag, and great photos in the camera, I couldn’t help but think to myself “so are we.”

| 04.13.2007 | Review by J. Pierson |