Reviews: Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Dawes, Ben Folds, Tony Bennett

Today’s critiques include Miranda Lambert’s performance in Reading, Pa.; Blake Shelton bringing good times to Portland, Ore.; Dawes in St. Louis; Ben Folds in Milwaukee and Tony Bennett in Jacksonville

Charles Sykes / Invision / AP – Miranda Lambert
CMA Awards, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn.

Miranda Lambert @ Satander Arena in Reading, Pa., Feb. 23 – “The evening was a rip-roaring affair almost from start to finish, though the musicians did bring it back to the front porch for ‘The House That Built Me,’ with Lambert’s tender vocals backed only by acoustic and steel guitars, stand-up bass, and seemingly every member of the crowd.” – Jon Fassnacht / Reading Eagle

Blake Shelton @ Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Feb.23 – “He was pleased to play the old stuff–and self-deprecating about getting the crowd to help out on the sing-alongs, warning that if he got a bad review (no chance of that, my dude) that it’d be on us.” – David Greenwald / The Oregonian / OregonLive.com

Dawes @ The Pageant in St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 1 – “The band has excellent harmonies and a wonderful range. They reminded me of Paul Simon—if Paul Simon were in a bluesy-folk band, that is. It’s hard to be disengaged from a band when they’re bouncing all over the stage. The energy was high for the whole show.” – Melissa Cynova / PlayBack:stl.com

Dropkick Murphys @ Express Live! in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 22 – “While the instruments were great, the vocals from lead singer Al Barr and bassist Ken Casey had to be the best part of the show. They gave each song an anthem quality that made it hard to keep from singing along. Barr’s high energy had him running around the stage and interacting with the audience, and he led the band in a genuine passion that anyone in the crowd could feel.” – Emily Hetterscheidt / The Lantern

Ben Folds @ Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee Wis., Feb. 16 – “He opened with a solid renditions of ‘Phone in a Pool,’ laying the groundwork for what the rest of the show would consist of. Shortly after he brought in the audience’s participation for help with the next song, which ranged from as decent a harmony one could get from a hall of people, to the disorganized cacophony one might expect. Still, the song turned out well, and the crowd was pleased.” – Henry Morgan / UWM Post

John Davisson – Blake Shelton
CMA Music Festival, LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.

Tony Bennett @ Times-Union Center For Perf. Arts in Jacksonville, Fla., Feb. 22 – “Sure, a bit of gravel has crept into his voice and he could get a little wobbly reaching for the high notes, but he settled all doubts on the final song of his 90-minute set Wednesday night at the Times-Union Center when he set down his microphone and sang ‘Fly Me to the Moon,’ unamplified. I’m not sure if they could hear him up in the far reaches of the balcony, but halfway back in the 3,500-seat theater he was clear as a bell.” – Tom Szaroleta / The Florida Times-Union / Jacksonville.com