Pat McGee Band
Vintage Stages Live
Kirtland
Along with Hootie and the Blowfish, Sister Hazel and Edwin McCain, Pat McGee Band formed part of the explosion of heartland rock acts that found national prominence in the late 1990s and early ’00s.
Vintage Stages Live was supposed to be a celebration of the success the band has enjoyed over the past 10 years, but the death of drummer Chris Williams late last year means that this DVD/CD combo is being released on a more somber note. Williams’ solid drumming throughout these three concerts demonstrates that he helped make Pat McGee band a terrific live outfit.
A sizable chunk of the material is taken from the band’s most recent studio album, Save Me, but older material such as “Girl From Athens,” “Rebecca” and the poignant “Haven’t Seen For a While” are greeted just as favorably by fans at the shows. The acoustic Wolf Trapp DVD segment is a pleasant diversion from the full-band DVD and CD and shows another facet of the band’s repertoire.
The death of a band member is not the ideal backdrop to a new release, but Vintage Stages Live is a fitting tribute to Chris Williams’ talents as part of a stellar and highly popular outfit.
Kirtland Records: http://www.kirtlandrecords.com
