Chelsea Alehouse was full of stories, music, and laughter as Jeff Daniels and his guitar entertained a sold-out crowd.
Jeff Daniels – No Foolin
The wonderful people at the Chelsea Alehouse were not fooling around on April 1st when they hosted an evening with Jeff Daniels. We had seen Jeff Daniels briefly when he popped on stage with the Ben Daniels band on New Year’s Eve at the Alehouse. This would be our first experience of just Jeff and his guitar. I can’t say for sure, but we may have been the most excited folks in the room.
Jeff Daniels walked up to the stage with his dobro and launched into “Lifelong Tiger Fan Blues”. Jeff asked how many people were seeing him play music for the first time. Several hands rose including ours. Jeff laughed and said, “That’s celebrity…You didn’t fucking think I could do it”.
Honestly, when you hear about a celebrity who is going to be performing music or recording an album, you wonder. Is this going to be another Corey Feldman incident? With Jeff Daniels, you have nothing to fear. He is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. His singing voice is warm and pleasant. His voice may remind you of Tom Rush or Jerry Jef Walker.
Stories and Music
Jeff regaled the crowd at the Chelsea Alehouse with wonderful stories. His tales led into songs such as “Dirty Harry Blues”, “Gettin’ Good At Bein’ Bad”, and “Have a Good Life”. Each tune provided glimpses into Jeff’s life as well as a boatload of laughs.
Listening to Jeff Daniels, we couldn’t help but be reminded of recent auto-biographies we have read by Stephen King and Bruce Springsteen. Jeff Daniels is a great story teller. When combined with his music, you feel the stories come to life.
It wasn’t all fun and games as Jeff Daniels touched on some emotional themes with “Middle of the Night” and “When My Fingers Find Your Strings”. These songs gave the audience a taste of the multifaceted sides to his songwriting.
Get in the RV
Jeff Daniels closed out the show with his epic and hilarious “Recreational Vehicle”. In a way, this song reminded me of “Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie. Probably more in delivery than content. With a thank you and a wave of his guitar, Jeff Daniels headed off stage.
A chorus of cheers continued with everyone on their feet and hoping for more. Jeff obliged with an encore. He capped off his performance with the poignant “Michigan In Me”. This beautiful song brought to an end a fantastic night of storytelling through music with Jeff Daniels at the Chelsea Alehouse. Drop by our gallery for more pictures from the show.
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