Apart from the seats behind the stage, there isn’t a bad seat in the compact, Hall Two at The Sage. Hall Two’s circular design affords all a good view of the performing artist.
The mighty Guinn, as Bob Dylan once referred to him, gave us an entertaining and informative evening.
Playing solo and employing alternately a twelve string and his invention, a seven string guitar, Roger had the audience totally absorbed throughout the night.
Although the set was understandably dominated by his excellent work with the Byrds, much of which was penned by Bob Dylan, he also included some of his more recent offerings.
He introduced many of the songs with short, often funny but always interesting stories regarding their origins.
For instance, the first line written for “Ballad of Easy Rider” was done so by Bob Dylan in New York, on a napkin, who then instructed Peter Fonda to take it to Roger McGuinn in Los Angeles, where Roger finished the rest of the lyrics and added the tune.
The artist praised fellow musicians and wasn’t afraid to give credit for much of his inspiration to The Beatles, telling us that when the fledgling Byrds were given a “one record” contract, they listened to Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man and McGuinn, as he put it, “Beatlified” it, the rest is history.
The tall slim, back clothed Roger McGuinn’s performance was nothing less than magnificent.
To be able to see and hear an artist of such skill and pedigree, up close up in such a small venue can only be described as a privilege.
- Billy Zinc
Yes it was a terrific concert indeed, & your review is spot on. There were many happy fans indeed that night ! Roger certainly has a wonderful / loyal fan base in the North East which goes back as far as the City Hall Concert with the ” White / Parsons /Baton Byrds in 71. All the best.