REVIEW: Chad and Jeremy Perform Delightful Show at the Sheldon Concert Hall

Unfairly lumped in with the British Invasion groups during the early 1960's, folk artists Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde made an indelible impression on America, nonetheless, with their guest appearances on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "Batman", before splitting up at the end of the decade. But, their musical legacy is the real reason they should be remembered, and their collective talent was on display at the Sheldon Concert Hall this past Friday (October 23, 2009) for an appreciative audience.

Chad and Jeremy take a rather humorous and self-effacing approach toward their peculiar career arc, and it's actually refreshing to see how humbled and amused they are at the response they receive. The concert took the audience on a musical journey through their career, beginning with the first song they ever played together, the Buddy Holly-penned "It Doesn't Matter"; a masterpiece of simplicity. A quick jaunt through the instrumental "Apache", complete with their original choreographed moves, provoked the intended laughter. They continued their chronological approach with a nifty performance of "Dirty Old Town", a song with a moody minor chord progression that caught the ear of producer/composer John Barry, and led directly to the recording of their first album.

A number of wonderful tunes followed, filling the acoustically perfect halls of the Sheldon with exquisite harmonies backed by the sound of chiming guitars. Both Chad and Jeremy are accomplished on their main instrument, but Chad also showed off his prowess on piano, harmonica and mandolin as well, providing a nice variety of backing for these stripped down arrangements. A comic highlight found Chad recalling fond memories of his days in California, which led the pair to croon new lyrics for The Eagles' "Desperado", here realized as "Avocado". Chad also impressed with a beautifully rendered piano solo during their run through "Willow Weep for Me". His deft fretboard work was evident during his jazz-tinged solo on "September in the Rain", and throughout the evening as he consistently contributed tasty licks to complement Jeremy's solid strumming.

For me, it's the elegant and warm combination of their voices that gives Chad and Jeremy their unique appeal. As evidenced by this spirited concert performance, their vocals are still very much in tact after all this time, and it's a tribute to their gifts that they can even deliver an a capella number in perfect pitch. There's just something sunny and affable floating through these charming selections that can't help but make you smile inside and out.

After a brief intermission, the lads returned to continue the entertainment with tuneful runs through songs like "Distant Shores" and "Zanzibar Sunset". A sparkling take on "Homeward Bound" found them musing about the fact that they rejected the song as a single, bypassing Paul Simon's classic for one of Jeremy's tunes. The evening was brought to a close with a lovely version of "A Summer Song", their self-described "little song that could", which continues to get airplay in movies and on the radio. For an encore, which found them wisely eschewing the practice of leaving the stage, they played a rousing take on The Beatles' "I'll Be Back", before officially ending with the silly strains of "You Need Feet", which was the last song they recorded together during the sixties.

This was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening. The Sheldon continues to bring in quality acts from around the globe to St. Louis. Melba Moore and Band take the stage next at 5pm on October 25, 2009 for a benefit for the Community Women Against Hardship Charity.

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