Someone forgot to turn Mother Nature's calendar to September - she delivered a perfect summer night for the Dan Fogelberg concert Friday night.
The evening began with Taos, N.M., folk artist Eliza Gilkyson, a sylphlike blond with Mia Farrow fragility. Gilkyson's "Wind River Rendezvous" and "She Rides a Wild Horse" were crowd-pleasers, but the crowd was anxious for the Colorado troubador.After two mostly acoustic Utah outings, Fogelberg pulled out all the stops Friday with a rollicking backup band of Mark Andes (formerly of Firefall and Heart), Robert McEntee (who played for Carole King) and former Eagles and Crosby, Stills and Nash drummer Joe Vitale. Fogelberg kicked off the concert with "Magic Every Moment" from his latest album, "River of Souls." Then in rapid succession, "Innocent Age," "Forefathers" and "Lucky in Love."
The tanned and relaxed Fogelberg told the crowd that the Park City concert was the opener for his tour - he'd spent the summer sailing in Maine. Fogelberg reached back to his first album for the 1972 song, "Looking for a Lady" after mentioning he really wasn't in the market for a gal these days. (As if the fans didn't know about Anastasia!) And then he previewed a new ballad that he'll be recording this winter, "The Beach."
The band cleared out and Fogelberg sat in a chair for some serious solo guitar work. It's a good thing the sound was up for "Make Love Stay" because all around me, people were singing along with Fogelberg, never missing a word. Then he grabbed a slide and meandered into Delta Blues country with "Down the Highway." As the audience howled its approval, Fogelberg growled, "there ain't nobody in the world who knows how I feel."
Moving to the grand piano, Fogelberg waited for a trumpet fanfare to begin "Run for the Roses." Then came the long piano interlude that had everyone holding their breath waiting for it to segue into "Auld Lang Syne." The only thing better was "Leader of the Band."
Bringing the band back, Fogelberg showcased Andes' Firefall days with "Cinderella" and gave McEntee a chance to shine on the Muddy Waters song "Walkin' Blues." Alan Fitzgerald joined the band on piano.
In a statement about the heartlessness of America, Fogelberg sang his "Faces of America" about the homeless and then previewed another new song, "Don't Let That Sun Go Down." Hanging on one last note, Fogelberg and the band built suspense to the breaking point before jamming into "Part of the Plan." As the bass note rumbled incessantly until you didn't hear it, you felt it, the audience was on its feet cheering the Fogelberg standard.
Obviously enjoying the enthusiastic crowd, Fogelberg came back out for three encores, including the George Harrison "Here Comes the Sun" and "Let It Shine" with Gilkyson joining the band onstage.
Despite fans constantly calling for "Heart Hotel" and "Longer" - the lineup of songs had something for everyone. He played soulful acoustic, he did the Delta and Fogelberg served up some great rock.
After the concert, longtime fan Susan Olsen of Alpine braved a Gestapo security guard to realize her dream of meeting Fogelberg; getting her picture taken with him and delivering a letter telling of his influence with her music. It was the perfect ending to night full of memories and harmony, and not all of it onstage.