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Isn’t it nice when you’re expecting to enjoy a show and it ends up being even better than you expected? Definate case in point here. Kicking-off their summer 2006 tour of the UK, newly married Americana couple Tia McGraff and Tommy Parham gave us a show to remember.
Although we’ve seen Tia and Tommy play before, so we should have known roughly what to expect, on the night, it was so much more. I can’t avoid displaying my bias towards the house concert format, but when you get talented, professional artists who are comfortable to be almost within touching distance of an attentive audience and there’s no sound system or other barrier, something magical can happen. Being able to deliver a relaxed, engaging and polished performance in this situation is not within every artist’s grasp, but these two shone.
The range and warmth of Tia’s voice, her ability to deliver a song in a way that really brings it to life, and her immediate connection with an audience, are what make her live performance so special. A performance built on the bedrock provided by her partner Tommy Parham, whose melodies, guitar playing and vocal harmonies contribute much to an performance that is so much more than the sum of its parts.
There are some photos from the evening in the gallery.
Songs from their latest CD, Outside the Circle, a couple of covers and a few new ones spread across a two hour show made for a very enjoyable evening. The time just flew by. Catch them on the road if you can.
They played:
Set 1
1. Outside The Circle
2. I End Up Goin’ That Way
3. Cracks In The Sidewalk
4. Ought To Be Rock
5. Can’t Rain Everyday
6. Love Lies Bleeding
7. Thing Called Love (John Hiatt song covered by Bonnie Raitt)
8. What A Life
9. That Ain’t My Story
10. I Can’t Quit
Set 2
11. Cross the Line
12. Silver Lake
13. Fisherman’s Song
14. Eyes of My Eyes
15. What The Hell Am I Doin’ Here
16. How Much Fun Can A Cowgirl Have
17. Mr Bojangles (Jerry Jeff Walker)
Encores
18. Catfish Deacon
19. Until We Meet Again
20. But You Did
CD sales were brisk, and judging by comments we received afterwards it seems that everyone left a little happier than when they arrived, so who could ask for more?
You can find out more about Tia McGraff and find out where they’re playing next at www.tiamcgraff.com. There is also a UK fan site at: www..tiamcgraffukfanclub.bravehost.com
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