Acoustic rock concerts earn mixed reviews

The third — and for my money, the best — in the recent spate of acoustic concerts to hit town was last Thursday’s performance by Bryan Adams.

The run of “unplugged” shows (more accurately, electric acoustic shows) by rockers also included Los Lonely Boys (Oct. 15, Stambaugh Auditorium) and Shinedown (Nov. 23, Powers). It continues this week when ’70s rocker Eddie Money returns for an acoustic Christmas show Friday at McMenamy’s in Niles.

There is something unique about an acoustic show. Songs that you’ve heard many times seem fresh when stripped down and deconstructed.

And it’s best when an act has a huge arsenal of great songs that span decades — like Adams.

Armed with a guitar and a harmonica, the Canadian played a two-hour set before a nearly-full Powers Auditorium that included every one of his major hits (“Summer of ’69,” “Run to You” and many more). He was accompanied on most songs by Gary Bright on grand piano.

Audience members gave the evening a raucous atmosphere, shouting out song titles and other comments, and Adams happily bantered with them.

Adams’ Youngstown appearance was part of his Bare-Bones Tour. Fittingly, the backdrop was the exposed concrete block and brick wall behind the Powers stage, which was in marked contrast to the otherwise ornately gilded room.

Part of the appeal of any acoustic show is the back- story about songs that the artists tend to share. Adams did a bit of it.

But Shinedown frontman Brent Smith made those stories the main reason for the show. He delved at length into the influences and events that went into writing each song, often getting personal.

Shinedown has played in Youngstown about a half- dozen times in the past five years, so the acoustic evening was a necessary change of pace. To give the show a special feel, the band dressed formally. Bass guitarist Eric Bass (great name for a bassist, even though it’s pronounced like the fish) had his instrument perched on a stand and played it like an upright.

Los Lonely Boys was the oddest of the shows because of the clashing mix of folks in the seats. But give Monday Musical Club credit for inserting a modern act into its otherwise nostalgia-laden series. It has become necessary to replenish the series’ older fan base.

There were definitely a lot of younger faces in Stambaugh that night, mixed in with the older season-ticket holders. And those Lonely Boys fans — who otherwise would likely never go to a Monday Musical show — made their presence known by hollering out to the band and holding banners.

Los Lonely Boys doesn’t have a roster of hits like Shinedown or Bryan Adams, and most people in the seats probably never heard the songs in their original form. Therefore, hearing them reworked for acoustic guitar wasn’t anything special.

The Tex-Mex trio probably didn’t know it was going to be playing to a crowd that was largely unfamiliar with its music. And it didn’t help that the three mostly yukked it up between songs instead of providing background.

BROWNLEE DRAWS PRAISE FOR WORK ON NEW ALBUM

International opera star Lawrence Brownlee, who is a Youngstown native, received high praise for his work on a new album, with the reviewer comparing him to a young Pavarotti.

Brownlee is heard on a recording of Gioachino Rossini’s “Stabat Mater” (EMI) with the orchestra and chorus of Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and a host of opera singers.

Verana Dobnik of the Associated Press had this to say in her review of the album:

“This new rendition of ‘Stabat Mater’ includes tenor Lawrence Brownlee in the finest recording of the work since a 1971 one with Luciano Pavarotti.

“Some critics say the 38-year-old American singer’s voice is reminiscent of the young Pavarotti. Brownlee at moments even surpasses the late Italian superstar — as in a thrillingly vibrant high D flat, delivered full-throttle.”

High praise, indeed, for Brownlee, who regularly receives such accolades.

PAURICH WINS AWARD for THEATER REVIEWS

Vindicator theater critic Milan Paurich won second place in the Best Critic in Ohio category in the 2010 Society of Professional Journalists Awards (newspapers under 100,000 circulation division). Paurich won for his community-theater reviews that were printed in The Vindicator.

Paurich now has been honored three times by the Ohio SPJ. He previously won first place for his movie reviews in 2005 and second place for his theater reviews in 2008.

GLOBETROTTERS ADD ANOTHER INNOVATION

The Harlem Globetrotters will return to Youngstown on Jan. 29 for two shows at the Covelli Centre. The basketball magicians have done their act in this city many times, but this time they’ve got something new: the 4-point shot.

The new gimmick officially debuts Dec. 26, when the tour begins, but the Globetrotters trotted it out early for a televised game Sunday night on ESPN2.

The court for the show now has two designated 4-point shooting spots on each side of midcourt, 35 feet from the basket (the spots are 12 feet beyond the NBA’s official 3-point line).

The 4-point option will no doubt generate more excitement for the Globetrotters and their perennial foes, the Washington Generals.

For ticket information, go to covellicentre.com.