Concert Review - Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three @ The World Cafe Live - Philadelphia

Pokey LaFarge & the South City Three opened for Southern Culture on Skids Sunday, October 16th @ World Cafe Live.
 

Heading into the show, I had been riding a Pokey high, as I had them ranked as the album of the year (Middle of Everywhere Album Review) and the concert of the year.  I didn't know what to expect with an opening slot show, but I felt better once they started and announced it was the St. Louis quartet's first time performing Philadelphia. 

Pokey was in a good mood starting off, teasing the crowd with a sly apology about the baseball playoffs (St. Louis knocking out Philadelphia).  Pokey explained his love of the style of music, appreciation for those who paved the ways for him, and tales of his songs.  For example, 'Coffee Pot Blues' he claims is about a "friend" left to co-habitate with an ex, sleeping on the couch, but sharing the coffee pot.

Pokey & Co. have an unabashed love for the old time music and the South City Three have immense skill to match, allowing the set list to turn into a history lesson. They jumped right in with a cover of an old Fred Rose tune 'The Devil Ain't Lazy'.  Other period pieces included, Bessie Smith's 'A Good Man is Hard to Find', classic 'Some of these Days', and 'Sadie Green'.  Pokey also dug deep into his bag of songs with a re-worked 'Can't Be Satisfied from an earlier solo album of his.  They also played a tracks from 2010 Riverboat Soul, 2011 album Middle of Everywhere and the single Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County/Pack It Up.   As broad as the selections were, it was amazing that each of the pieces seemed to be out of a singular collection only capped by crowd pleaser 'La La Blues'




Set list                                                                      Original Pokey album or Pokey's description
1.   'Devil Ain't Lazy'                                                                             Fred Rose
2.   'Can't Be Satisfied'                                                                            Marmalade
3.   'A Good Man Is Hard To Find'                                                       Bessie Smith
4.   'Pack It Up'                                                 Chitlin Cookin' Time in Cheatham County / Pack It Up
5.   'Sadie Green'                                                          "Milton Brown..King of Western swing"
6.   'Ain't The Same'                                                                  Middle of Everywhere
7.   'From Head To Toe'                                                            Middle of Everywhere
8.   'Hard Times Come and Go'                                                           Riverboat Soul
9.   'Coffee Pot Blues'                                                                  Middle of Everywhere
10.  'Some of these days'                                                              "Harmless jazz tune"
11.  'La La Blues'                                                                              Riverboat Soul




Lead track, played previously 'Devil Ain't Lazy' by Pokey Lafarge & the South City Three



Despite already having Middle of Everywhere after chatting it up with Pokey, explaining that Molly loves his work, I picked up the vinyl copy to be signed by the band for Molly.  Now that leaves me with another digitial download that I can share with the first to comment on the post!  (Thanks Pokey for permission to share)