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Mountain Stage hosted by Larry Groce took place Sunday at 7 p.m. to a sold-out audience at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center. The unusually long show ran for over two and a half hours, concluding with Regina Spektor’s highly anticipated performance.
First to take the stage was Will Hoge playing his well received blues rock. This was Hoge’s third time to appear on a Mountain Stage program. Next up was acclaimed guitarist Sonny Landreth.
"One of the biggest talents that come on the show," said Groce, "if you’ve never heard Sonny, boy am I glad to be introducing him to you."
Landreth’s musicianship was exceptional, and the audience was not afraid to show its enjoyment. When his performance ended many gave him a standing ovation.
Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers were a welcomed change of pace, slowing down the show with their acoustic driven hooks and melodies. The heartfelt and soothing vocals blended appropriately with the band’s use of the upright bass, violin and banjo.
Yo La Tengo returned to Mountain Stage Sunday night, having last appeared 18 years ago.
"This next band played in Morgantown when 123 was still called the Underground Railroad," Groce said.
Perhaps the most memorable part of the band’s performance came in a rather lengthy and shoegazy piece that caught some of the spectators by surprise. A considerable amount of audience members walked out of the theater during Yo La Tengo’s performance. In fact, one woman was clutching her ears tightly as if in physical pain as she left.
Finally, Spektor took a seat behind her piano and wooed the crowds with her powerful yet sweet voice and fanciful playing. As she modestly tucked her hair behind her ears and took a sip of her drink, Spektor dazzled and subdued the antsy audience with songs off her new album, "Far."
She was eccentricity at its finest with the track "Machine," and the crowd was enraptured, even as she imitated dolphin noises on "Folding Chair." Personally, "Far" is a distance from Spektor’s full and previously seen potential. However, performed live the songs are much more gratifying.
In the end, this run of Mountain Stage was satisfying and engaging. It was an exceptional group of artists that the audience was fortunate to watch perform its finest under one roof.
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