Country legend Marty Stuart and his band The Fabulous Superlatives put on quite a show at the Greenwich Odeum Saturday, March 5, 2022.
Behind his sincere country charm, Stuart is no doubt a legendary frontman… and the trio behind him is one of the best in the music business… country or otherwise. The band demonstrated impeccable musicianship while providing a degree of showmanship rarely seen these days.
Labeled a traditional country act, the band moved through multiple musical genres, from surf to bluegrass, gospel to rock and roll. Stuart dubbed RI the “surf capital” while the band shined on a couple of guitar favorites, the opener “Graveyard,” and later, a raucous cover of the Safari’s “Wipe Out” anchored by bass player Chris Scruggs on lead. Yeah, you read that right. Look it up on YouTube, you’ll see what I mean.
The show included favorites like “This One’s Gonna Hurt You,” “Look at That Girl,” and “Tempted,” featuring Kenny Vaughn’s impressive Telecaster lead. Vaughn, known as Cousin Kenny, is a guitarist’s guitarist, and one of the best in the business. Simple as that.
Other highlights included the Travis Tritt cover “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” and a sublime version of “Matches,” with the road-worthy lyric “Matches, I need some matches, cause I still got one old bridge I need to burn.”
Drummer Harry Stinson stepped up on guitar for a couple of tunes, including a nice version of the Woody Guthrie classic “Pretty Boy Floyd,” underscoring the classic verse: “Through this world I’ve wandered, I’ve seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen.”
Several acoustic tunes showcased the band’s skills, and the sound quality at the Odeum was the best I’ve heard in a long time. The Willie Nelson cover “Me and Paul,” was superb and came with a great story about Willie, while the Rouse Brothers classic “Orange Blossom Special,” showcased Stuart’s out-of-this-world mandolin skills.
Further credit to the band .. when they appeared for their planned two-song encore, a heckler pleaded for Stuart to play the Marty Robbins classic, “Poor Side of Town.” Amazingly, without any prior notice or rehearsal, Stuart found the right key and sang a few verses with the band right behind him. It was a memorable moment, seeing the band pull it together off-script. You don’t see that much anymore.
If you get the chance, do not miss this band! Meanwhile, check out some impressive photos of the evening from WUN photographer Rick Farrell.
More concert photos on WUN:
Concert Photos: Don Felder soars at the Narrows Center – What’s Up Newp (whatsupnewp.com)
Concert Recap and Photos: Lost Dog Street Band at The Strand – What’s Up Newp (whatsupnewp.com)