“DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC…”? You do if you were at The Kent Stage for last night’s concert with John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino. Absolutely a “magical” evening of music and stories from these two amazing musicians. The show had a very loose feel to it as they played the hits from The Lovin Spoonful and told stories from the incredible careers in the music business. One of the stories was about how The Lovin Spoonful got their name. John Sebastian said it was from a lyric in a Mississippi John Hurt song, “Coffee Blues” (He and Jimmy Vivino also told the story of how it was not coffee in his coffee cup.) with the lyric “I love my baby by the lovin spoonful”. They talked about meeting and recording with Laura Nyro and many others like a “Who’s Who” of Rock N’ Roll and Blues music. (A nod to their manager, Roscoe, was given throughout the show.)
It was if John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino were driving down the road, saw an open garage door with people sitting around, dropped in to play their music and hang out with some new friends. Their “Jug Band” sound was just as endearing as the term sounds. A little tuning in between songs, forgetting to plug in a guitar, a little “banter” with the crowd and two guys who just love playing music. The crowd joined the “Jug Band” and sang along most of the show. One of the best “Story tellers” tours of the year!
After their set was finished, John Sebastian and Jimmy Vivino came out to their “merch” table to sign autographs and take pictures with their fans until each and every one of them got one. The irony, their “merch” had been shipped to The Kent Stage but never arrived. They did not care, the took care of their fans.
“Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back….” was on the mind of everyone in the audience as they cannot wait for the return of these two amazing musicians.
