Buffett, Genesis, Boston pub-crawling, tips

No Labor Day week is complete without a visit by Jimmy Buffett & the Coral Reefer Band. I had seen him at Fenway Park in 2004 (the year the Red Sox won the World Series) and knew that he could translate to a stadium setting, but I didn't realize how much he would conquer the bigger Gillette Stadium stage. He did it with ease.
This has all been part of a week in which I was seemingly out every night catching music. There was Buffett and Genesis (at the Garden), plus locally hatched acts such as the Scissormen (at Toad), the Gentlemen and Watts (at the Abbey Lounge), Flynn (Club Passim), the Coachmen (Plough & Stars) and Andrea Gillis (Toad).
Buffett was the biggest surprise, because he played in front of a sold-out 57,000 fans at Gillette as though it were a personal saloon. "You have a nice little bar here!'' he said to the hordes, before opening with a surprise version of Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again.'' That road also led to some fine new songs (Buffett remains a prolific songwriter -- a guru of the beach-bum genre) and to some great covers such as Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl'' (a virtual staple of a Buffett show) and the Grateful Dead's "Scarlete Begonias,'' where Buffett correctly pointed out a "cross-breed'' between Deadheads and his own Parrotheads. The song received a thunderous response and was aided by the slide guitar brilliance of Sonny Landreth, who Buffett often books for the bigger gigs, along with keyboardist Bill Payne of Little Feat renown.
The Coral Reefers were buttressed this time by Cape Verdean musician Elo Ferrier, a captivating new artist who sang one tune with Buffett, then sang lead on another. Buffett hopes to get him a record contract and the kid looks ready.
Another nice touch was paying homage to the recently deceased Luciano Pavarotti a couple of times. One came by dedicating the encore "Defying Gravity'' to Pavarotti. A noble gesture from Mr. Margaritaville.
As for Genesis at the Garden, they delivered a challenging show that pleasantly diverted from the typical "Greatest Hits'' spectacle to target deep-catalog songs aimed at Genesis connoisseurs. There were gasps of surprise at some tunes, dating way back to "Firth of Fifth'' from 1973. Many hits were still there (onetime MTV favorite "Invisible Touch'' rocked the house), but the band, again led by Phil Collins, did not become just another jukebox. They dug into the prog-rock side of their repertoire and Mike Rutherford, who normally plays bass, often switched over to lead guitar and played with a vengeance that I don't recall him having during their heyday. Some of his solos were stunning.
Collins hammed it up more than usual (some antics were more like what he does during his solo tours), but he's always been a born entertainer. The vocal mix could have been better on his voice, but he still sang with precision and a passion for which he's not always given credit. He did a beautiful treatment of "Hold On to My Heart'' that put the crowd into a trance.
But here's a surprise: No lasers! I don't think I'd ever seen a Genesis show without them, yet this time they settled for a LED screen. And no overhead mirrors, either, which they used to use to bounce the lasers off of. Still, the music predominated and if this was their farewell show in Boston, it justified high marks.
Regarding local pub-crawling, here are some snapshots:
SCISSORMEN at Toad: Singer/guitarist Ted Drozdowski relocated the band to Nashville, but must have discovered some newfound confidence down there, because he was a madman at Toad. He riffed on guitar while walking atop the entire bar, then falling to the floor and playing on his back. The crowd gathered around him and was in a complete uproar. A wild, wild night.
GENTLEMEN and WATTS at the Abbey: The Gentlemen don't play out as much anymore (sigh), but are still a crunching powerhouse of garage-rock when they do. And Watts, affectionately named for Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, celebrated a new CD with a slam-bang, guitar-stoked show that made you want to hear more.
FLYNN at Club Passim: The singular-named Flynn has quietly amassed a strong career as an adult-minded singer-songwriter. His songs are full of subtle emotions and revelations. He has just put out his fourth record and celebrated it with this Passim show, a transporting night of music helped by guests Ellis Paul and Antje Duvekot, not to mention an incredibly sharp backup band anchored by bassist Richard Gates (who also plays with Suzanne Vega) and drummer John Sands, who tours with Aimee Mann. Some of Flynn's songs fall into a strummy pop-folk realm, but his open-hearted delivery always seems to win the day. And his cover of the Beatles' "Let It Be'' with Ellis Paul was absolutely sublime.
ANDREA GILLIS at Toad: Andrea has one of the most powerful voices in Boston -- almost too powerful for a small room like Toad -- but she manages to connect no matter where she plays. She has an old-school R&B voice that induces goosebumps when it's not shaking the walls. She's an immense talent and has a residency every Tuesday this month at Toad.
THE COACHMEN at the Plough & Stars: I actually stumbled upon these gents twice at the Plough last week -- once when they headlined, the other time when they played a surprise birthday for a friend. The Coachmen boast a free-wheeling rockabilly sound highlighted by gifted guitarist Jerry Miller. They covered songs by the likes of Johnny Cash and Dick Curless, investing each with an almost preternatural energy. These guys are good.

CRITIC’S TIPS:

· Aerosmith – at the Tweeter Center on Friday, Sept. 13. Aerosmith may not be the “Bad Boys of Boston’’ anymore, but they can still rock the house. And with Tom Hamilton back on bass after his illness, this should be a great homecoming.
· Duke Levine Band – at Club Passim on Friday, Sept. 14. Duke is a sought-after guitarist for everyone from Peter Wolf to Dennis Brennan (he plays in both of their bands), but his solo stuff is all-instrumental, cutting across many styles.
· Boston Folk Festival – at UMass-Boston on Saturday, Sept. 15. The annual, acoustic-flavored gathering this time features Lori McKenna, Vance Gilbert, Patty Larkin, and Chris Trapper of the Push Stars. The fest includes three stages of music.
· Pete Francis – at Harpers Ferry on Saturday, Sept. 15. I recently caught Francis when he was with Dispatch, which played three nights at Madison Square Garden! Francis is back in the clubs, but this CD release party should be sweet.
· Laura Vecchione Band – at Johnny D’s on Saturday, Sept. 15. Vecchione is gathering a lot of attention around town for her country-edged tunes, so this should only add to her momentum.
· Bleu and Mike Viola – at Great Scott on Saturday, Sept. 15. Bleu is one of the best rock tunesmiths to come out of Boston in recent years. And old buddy Viola is another pop-rock legend in the making.
· Dennis Brennan Band – at the Lizard Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 19. The heart of Boston’s roots-rock scene resumes his Wednesday residency at the Lizard. Count me as among those who are happy to see him back.