It's a good feelin' to know there's a sold-out crowd ready and waiting this Friday, August 23, 2024 evening at South Orange, NJ's SOPAC for an 80th Birthday Celebration Concert by singer/songwriter Richie Furay.
Known by many as the voice of country rock, Furay is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who worked with Stephen Stills and Neil Young in Buffalo Springfield, Jim Messina and Rusty Young in Poco, and J.D. Souther and The Byrds’ Chris Hillman in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, as well as being a well-received solo artist.
Emcee Nancy Stone takes the SOPAC stage to welcome the packed house and introduces a moving video tribute to her late husband, David Stone, Richie Furay’s manager.
Following the video, Nancy welcomes Richie Furay and his band — keyboardist Jack Jeckot, guitarists Dan Skarda, Marc Intravaia, and Jim Soldi, drummer Larry Grano, bassist Rick Nash, and singer Jessie Lynch — onto the stage and leads the audience in singing “Happy Birthday” to Richie.
With tears in his eyes, Richie delivers an emotional tribute to Stone explaining, “He was my manager, but he was my friend,” before reminding music lovers that David “was the one who allowed all this to happen.”
The crowd cheers, and Furay and Co. launch into Poco’s “Pickin’ Up the Pieces” where Richie sings, “Well there’s just a little bit of magic in the country music we’re singin’/So let’s begin,” and the crowd responds with avid whistles and applause.
After revealing, “It’s been a great ride! I can’t put it into words, but we made music in what was the greatest era to make it,” Furay and the group launch into “We Were the Dreamers,” a song which transports listeners back to 1969 when Poco first performed on the stage of one of L.A.’s premier music destinations, The Troubadour.
On this nostalgic rocker, Furay sings in his clear, strong voice, “We were the dreamers/Shooting high for the stars/Making rock and roll music/Playing country guitars/ We blazed a trail for generations to come/Yeah, we were the dreamers/Just some kids having fun.”
Music lovers applaud, and Furay announces, “We’re going to go back even further with Buffalo Springfield,” prior to joking, “I feel like I’m part of a tribute band — but I was there!” After recalling, “At the Whiskey A Go-Go I sang this next song to a girl in the front row — and now she’s my bride of 57 years,” Furay performs Stephen Stills’ upbeat Bufalo Springfield folk-rocker, “Sit Down, I Think I Love You.”
Furay reminisces about how he and Steven Stills founded Buffalo Springfield before he marches into the epic rocker, “Stand Your Guard.” Music lovers sing along with Richie on the catchy “Oh darlin’, hold on/Take it another step further along” refrain and Marc Intravaia and Jim Soldi trade guitar riffs as the band explodes in a cacophony of sound.
Following Furay’s meaningful rendition of his country rock ballad, “Wind of Change,” he introduces his daughter, Jesse Lynch, whose sweet soprano floats out over the audience as she croons the Bonnie Raitt country-rock tune, “(Goin’) Wild for You Baby.”
A Jack Jeckot keyboard solo swirls on the Southern rocker, “Believe Me,” before Furay announces, “Now Dan Skarda, Jesse Lynch, and I are going to do a few songs while the rest of the band takes a break.”
Furay strums his acoustic guitar and impresses with his falsetto voice as he sings, “Soft winds blow in the summer time/Young lovers feel so free/Walkin’ hand in hand down the shady lane/What happened to me?” accompanied by Lynch on vocals on his lovely Buffalo Springfield ballad, “Sad Memory.”
Furay reveals, “That was the first song I ever recorded,” as he, Skarda, and Lynch sail into a medley of three classic Buffalo Springfield songs composed by Neil Young including “Flying on the Ground is Wrong,” “Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It,” and “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing.”
The crowd reacts with enthusiasm as the trio segues into Furay’s classic Buffalo Springfield composition, “A Child’s Claim to Fame,” and follows up with a foot-stomping arrangement of his song for Poco, “You Are the One,” where Furay and Skarda strum their guitars as Lynch keeps the rhythm on tambourine.
Jessie Lynch gives an emotional performance on “Don’t Tell Me” where her country-kissed voice is accompanied by Furay and Skarda’s background vocals and Richie plays a solo on acoustic guitar.
When Skarda and Lynch take a break, Furay welcomes back the rest of the band to spotlight drummer Larry Grano who sings lead on Richie’s song, “Goodtime Boy.” As Furay happily watches from the wings, Grano and the band have fun playing this funky and driving Buffalo Springfield number which also features keyboardist Jack Jeckot on harmonica.
The crowd reacts with hoots and hollers before clapping along to the feel-good worship tune, “Wake Up My Soul,” where acoustic guitars ring out as Richie sings, “Wake up my soul/Wake up early in the day/Wake up my hands/And the instrument I play.”
After talking about his latest recording, 2022’s In the Country, Furay performs one his favorite songs from the album, Leanne Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.” He and the ensemble follow up with one of the highlights of the show, a thrilling performance of the backbeat rocker, “Someday,” which features a rockin’ and rollin’ Jack Jeckot keyboard solo, Marc Intravaia and Jim Soldi dueling on slide and electric guitar, and concertgoers bopping their heads to the infectious rhythm.
The crowd reacts with a standing ovation, and Furay performs the power ballad, “Don’t Tread On Me,” where he sings with feeling, “We’re the home of the brave/We’re the land of the free/We’ve got a heart of gold/Don’t tread on me.” Keeping the patriotic vibe going, Furay segues into “America, America” where he cries, “America, America/God shed your grace, please do/Wake up, wake up/Our sleeping soul/Before we hear the bells that toll.”
Concertgoers leap to their feet to applaud, and Furay and Co. take bows before returning to the stage where Furay jokes, “We’re gonna keep you here all night!”
On the group’s first encore, “Overflow,” Furay has the audience sing along on the “Overflow” refrain of this beautiful rock ballad. Next, the audience sways to the music of Furay’s beloved Buffalo Springfield country waltz, “Kind Woman,” as he sings, “Kind woman/Won’t you love me tonight?” Lastly, on Poco’s “Good Feelin’ to Know,” the entire crowd stands, dances, and sings, “Oh, it’s a good feelin’ to know/Somebody loves you!” before Richie says “God bless you — we love you!” and takes a well-deserved 80th birthday bow.
To learn more about Richie Furay, please go to richiefuray.com. For information on future great performances at SOPAC — including Friends of the Brothers on September 7, Roger McGuinn on September 14, and Suzanne Vega on September 28 — please go to sopacnow.org.
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