Kelly Hogan

2/21/98 Show Review

Last Updated : 17-Feb-99

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Chicago-Empty Bottle
3pm Kids Show

It was weird enough just being in the Empty Bottle during daylight. It became weirder as I noticed that all the music fans I usually see were decidedly sober. Some were drinking coffee, since 3pm is the crack of dawn for crazy hipsters. Weirdness morphed into surreality when I started counting all the kids. Real kids. I'm talking about a full-force army of the under-7-years-old variety. I'd estimate that between 40-50 children were at the Empty Bottle for a special kids' show featuring Kelly Hogan, Moonshine Willy, and the Kansas- based band Split Lip Rayfield. The show helped promote the CD *Rudy's Rockin' Kiddie Caravan*.

On the edge of the stage was a pile of clothes so that kids could play dress-up. Parents danced with their offspring. There were many tote bags, and I only got a whiff of a dirty diaper once. The kids had a blast. Their parents--many of whom hadn't been out to see live music in a while--also had a blast. For many in the audience, it was their first rock show ever. For others, it was their first rock show since becoming parents. Kids were dancing, twirling, jumping around, and socializing with their tiny peers. I didn't see anybody misbehave or get yelled at. I thought it was a great idea and I hope to see more shows like this. Anyway, for a whole bunch of little kids, Kelly Hogan was the first singer they'd ever seen onstage.

Hogan started the proceedings, joined by John Forbes on guitar and Jason Benson on drums. Chad Smith also played guitar on the last five songs of the set. Below is the setlist, along with the composers (or artists from whom Hogan learned the song).

  1. Hum Drum Blues (Oscar Brown, Jr.)
  2. Gentle on My Mind (Tammy Wynette)
  3. This Bitter Earth (Dinah Washington)
  4. Hanky Panky Woman (Loretta Lynn)
  5. Arm in Arm (in the Golden Twilight We Loitered On) (The Rock*A*Teens)
  6. Help Me Make It Through the Night (Kris Kristofferson)
  7. The Arkansas Side (The Chowder Shouters)
  8. The Jaybird Song (trad.)
  9. The Great Titanic (trad.)

NOTES: "Gentle on My Mind" is a John Hartford composition, and Glen Campbell had a hit with it, but Hogan says she learned the song from Tammy Wynette's *Divorce* LP. "The Arkansas Side" featured a fun little audience participation section, where we all went "whoooooo!" "The Jaybird Song" is a repetitive little ditty about a birdy with a whoopin' cough; Hogan learned this one from her dad. "The Great Titanic" appears on *Rudy's Rockin' Kiddie Caravan*; William and Versey Smith's version appears on Harry Smith's *Anthology of American Folk Music*. The highlight of the show for me was hearing Hogan belt out the word "friend" during "Help Me Make It Through the Night." It's that line that goes ". . .for tonight I need a friend." Man, that line was better than a light-brown buttermilk biscuit.

Hogan's dog, Augie, was also in the audience. After her set, Hogan could be seen entertaining children with a trick: She'd put a dog biscuit in her teeth, and Augie would reach up and snatch it right outta there. Yummy.Kids were lining up to take a turn at handing Augie a biscuit.

Also on the bill were Moonshine Willy and Split Lip Rayfield, a trio that featured a guitar, a banjo, and a bass made out of a gas tank.

Please email me ( FanClub@KellyHogan.com ) with comments, suggestions, updates, etc.
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