Concert Review/Photos: Mary Chapin Carpenter @ Scottish Rite Auditorium 4/16
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Playing a stripped-down acoustic set accompanied by pianist Jon Carroll and guitarist John Doyle, Mary Chapin Carpenter took the audience on a brilliant trip through her catalog.
Playing a stripped-down acoustic set accompanied by pianist Jon Carroll and guitarist John Doyle, Mary Chapin Carpenter took the audience on a brilliant trip through her catalog. “Shut Up and Kiss Me” and “This Shirt” had an extra impact with their acoustic arrangements. Her glorious cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Passionate Kisses” sounded fresh with a fascinating syllable-swallowing of the word “passionate.”
Certainly the night’s crowning moment was when the Princeton-raised singer asked the audience if they had any questions. One fan asked if she ever still performs John Denver’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Carpenter, Carroll and Doyle obliged, encouraging a magical sing-along. Carpenter was as amazed and pleased by it as the rest of the crowd, noting she hadn’t played the cover in many years and promising she’d never forget Collingswood’s contribution. The rest of the show was a cherry on the top of that delight, including a final encore song of Carpenter alone singing a brand-new song that fit perfectly into her oeuvre.
