On Sunday, February 6, Tom Rush made his way down from Vermont to Saratoga Springs to perform at Caffe Lena with Matt Nakoa. The relatively warm weather brought out a packed crowd for the duo’s first of two shows on Sunday. Tom took the stage by himself to open the show with “Best of a Bad Situation’, and he set the tone for what was to come. The show was filled with masterful finger-picking on guitar, witty lyrics, and personal storytelling. And all of that was seamlessly accompanied by Matt Nakoa on the piano.
Rush and Nakoa were operating at exactly the same wavelength all night long. Intricate finger-picking on guitar was combined with beautifully delicate runs on piano. Neither musician stepped on the other’s toes, instead their parts danced in perfect unison. This chemistry was nothing new though, as was pointed out by Tom when he told a story about one of their first shows together. In the story, Tom and Matt arrived at a venue much later than anticipated, and were left with no time to rehearse. Despite this, Matt took the stage and accompanied Tom as though he had been playing his songs for years.
After a few songs, including covers of songs by Joni Mitchell and Sleepy John Estes, Tom left the stage while Matt took over for a few songs by himself. The lefty picked up a guitar and showcased his ability to play and sing beyond his role on piano. Nakoa, standing somewhere well above 6’3″, was exceptionally dexterous, fretting chords using all five fingers with total ease, a task which would cripple most guitarists.
Shortly after leaving the stage, Tom returned and performed his “big hit on YouTube” as he put it: ‘Remember Song.’ As the set drew to a close, the energy rose while Tom and Matt lost themselves in the music. The duo would end the night with songs including ‘Train Song’ by Murray Mclauchlan and Rush’s ‘River Song.’ ‘River Song’ was played as a part of the show’s encore, an encore which was not preceded by a stage exit. Only when you have been performing over the span of seven decades like Tom Rush has, do you get to decide whether or not an encore break is necessary. As the encore drew to a close, and the musicians’ final notes rang out, the crowd rose to their feet to applaud in a standing ovation.
Both Tom and Matt will be traveling the country and performing live in the coming months. You can find Tom’s upcoming shows, accompanied by Matt, on his website here. For Matt’s solo shows, you can find them listed on his own site. The two will be all over the Northeast mostly, with a two show trip out west to California. Be sure to check out their websites to stay up-to-date on all their happenings. And for future shows at Caffe Lena, check out the their website.
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