Holiday Cheer for WFUV Benefit Concert

The WFUV Holiday Cheer show was incredible and all the artists were amazing! Calexico did an outstanding job as the house band and Glen Hansard's version of Bruce's Drive All Night blew the roof off the Beacon!!!

This was such an excellent evening of music, from new kids Lo Moon and their electronic soundscapes to pros like Jeff Tweedy, Randy Newman and the master of lyrics and chords, Aimee Mann. Loved every second of it.

Was not a Holiday show at all. Would not attend in the future. Did not provide a festive mood!!!

Lake Street Dive (new band) started concert and they were great. Followed by Shelby Lynn who was awesome! Too bad they were so short. By the time Lucinda came out she was less than spectacular. I find her tame and sort of tired. I have seen her when she first started playing and now that she is very famous it's disappointing to say the least. The Band is great and without them she would be even worse. Not going to see her again so soon.

"Many More" was not quite true, as The Lone Bellow was promised but couldn't appear due to vocal difficulties. What we did have, however, more than compensated, with sterling performances from Lake Street Dive, Shelby Lynne, Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin and, above all, Lucinda Williams. Williams was the headline and certainly deserved to be -- nothing in her set disappointed -- but those with her were an exceptional group, and it was disheartening (not what you should experience at a "Holiday Cheer" show) that they only had three or four songs to perform on their own...and that when Williams took the stage, only one of them (Earle) joined her for a few songs. There was no rousing send-'em-home finish from all the artists, and given the caliber of the talent involved -- to say nothing of the connections between them (Earle produced Williams; Lynne is the sister of Earle's wife; and Colvin's covered Earle) -- it would have been great to have had one. That said, Colvin and Earle, whom I'd seen previously, were even better than I remembered; Lake Street Dive and Shelby Lynne I hope to see again; and Lucinda Williams, whose reputation has long since preceded her, lived up to it and then exceeded it.. More shows like this and the Holidays would be much happier.

Second year at Holiday Cheer. Loved last years show...enjoyed this one. Sound mix was terrible...first band was difficult to listen. Barely understood the on-air personalities as they made their comments and introductions. Will join the fun again next year, always will support FUV, some improvement in sound would be appreciated.

Great lineup: Shawn Colvin was beautiful and Steve Earle was (as always) great. Lucinda Williams and her band were on that night. WFUV put on a great show. Can't wait for the next one!

My only regret was that all performers with the exception of Lucinda only played 3 - 4 songs each.

Aimee Mann was the headliner of four different performers. Due to terrible time mismanagement, Ms. Mann was forced to speed through her 11 numbers in order to finish by 11pm, presumably because WFUV didn't pay for extra time for the Beacon's union workers. The opening act, Lo Moon, was awful and their three songs wasted valuable time. Worse was the 20-minute intermission which Ms. Mann could have put to much better use. Randy Neumann, Jeff Tweedy (a few too many songs) and Aimee Mann were all wonderful. But whoever was running the show did a terrible job of time management. I would not go to a similar event with so many performers again. If you're featuring one headliner, give her the time she deserves.

The concert was great. Too bad I missed the first act because of the problem with security. Two men next to me on line started fighting. When we finally got to our seats a man two rows ahead of me started a fight with an usher who was loud and disruptive during Jeff Tweety. I was really surprised at the issues because in the past the concert was really good

I ve been a FUV listener for many years. I ve discovered a lot of new bands on FUV and try to tune in as much as I can. Bands like Wilco get a lot of play on FUV. I came to the show to hear Tweedy and Aimee Mann. Tweedy ran through songs that covered his full catalog back to Uncle Tupelo, along with a brand new song. I ve seen him a number of times and he s always great. Aimee Mann can sing! Loved her set and the Christmas tunes. I ve never been a big Newman guy, but enjoyed his set and his sing alongs. I missed Lo Moon standing outside in the snow.

While the music was good, especially Aimee Mann, the concert lacked any festive or real party feel.

Fantastic show. Randy Newman was fabulous. As was Aimee Mann, Jeff Tweedy and Lo Moon. But Randy stole the show

The Beacon was packed. I came to see The Record Company and they played 3-4 songs off their very first album. Sounded great! Wished they had more time. Corrine Bailey Rae was next and I wasn't familiar with her songs but she has a beautiful voice. Lucinda Willams was so down to earth and beautifully raw. Amos Lee was outstanding. I wasn't familiar with his music but I am now a fan. Concert was 2.5 hours long and most of the crowd stayed until the end. I would go to any one of the artist's shows. Looking forward to next year's show!!

Great show however the show was plagued with audience coming late looking for their spot and going in and out. I was quite supersized by the lack of consideration people showed for others in the audience and the performers.

This was a wonderful show. Every performance was top notch, and all the artists gave it everything for the crowd.

What a wonderful night filled with music, by my favorite artists

all the acts were amazing. everyone played great songs, very professionally and it all fit together.

The show was amazing. I loved all of the artists. Length of the show was a bit short but I understand it can't go too late as it's a fundraiser. We also paid so much for the tickets which I don't mind doing if all that $ goes to fuv and not ticket master. Fuv should acknowledge to the audience that info. And not sure why Lucinda didn't come out for the final encore. That was sad as she was greatly missed.

Ok so I'm in FUV LUV. Amos Lee was great. Rachel Price, of Lake Street Dive, blew the doors off the place with a guest appearance. Note of caution: we sat in the lower balcony on the far right side. The sound was pretty not great. Could not understand much of what was spoken, though music was ok. Important to sit in the Beacon toward the middle. Then sound would be good in any level.

great fast paced show with alot of acts. great venue.

Dawes rocked the house! Brandi Carlise was fantastic! Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - Great Christmas interpretations! Lucius was a delightful surprise! Great harmonies! Can't wait for next year!

We had a great time ... Brandi Carlile was fantastic -- so emotive and genuine ... Dawes rocked out .. Not big fans of Lucius and while I am a big fan of Sharon Jones and Dap Kings -I would have loved to hear something other than holiday tunes -- I get that they put out a holiday album and this was holiday cheer -- but -- it was too much. We sat in Orch 4, row L, seats 30 and 32 - these seats have no seats in front because they are reserved for wheelchairs and we didn't have a wheelchair in front so it was very roomy. There was a gentleman with a wheelchair who arrived but he did not want to sit there because his friends were in another row and I think he knew his seat was very large and would block our view. The negative is that people arrive late and need help being seated when the lights go down so our view was blocked at the start of the show and after the intermission. IT's rude that people don't arrive on time - especially when they aren't sitting on the aisle and have inconvenience a lot of people.

WFUV's annual fundraiser "Holiday Cheer", never disappoints! Brandi Carlisle and her twin band mates were fabulous...her voice is even better in person: a beautiful, haunting, raspy quality Dawes was also at the top of their game, bringing the audience to their feet. Lucius has a great funky sound, with some of the best harmony by female vocalists you'll ever hear. The topper was the new holiday music by Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, sure to be a new favorite. Sharon has a great set of pipes and an amazing amount of energy. All in all, a great show! Can't wait to see the lineup for 2016.

Fantastic night in every way! The musicians were diverse, powerful and equally enthralling. Loved all collaboartions between artists. We appreciated the holiday spirit which ran throughout the sets as well - a nice touch that I had not seen in other years. After last year, I was unsure about returning, but the Holiday Cheer 2015 was one for the record books. Tremendous show!

Great line -up, Outstanding talent. No waiting around between acts Nice flow with some holiday music as well as other songs from the artists. Dawes and Brandi a Carlile brought the energy and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings delivered a soulful set. This will be hard to beat next year!

Brandi Carlisle was the only redeeming factor. Dawes and Sharon & the Dap Kings disappointed. Dawes, How did you not play "All Your Favorite Bands"? Sharon & the Dap Kings......we know you have a new Christmas album out.....but a set of nothing but Christmas tunes? You missed a great opportunity to introduce listeners to your incredible soul music. Brandi was great....but onstage for way too short a time. Overall, a very disappointing night.

Great execution, very short waits from performer to performer. Short intermission. Liked that Brandi Carlile mingled with all the performers and bands. Nice finale.

Even though I enjoy Conor Oberst, I didn't think there was any "Holiday" feel to it at all. It seemed to be more of a talent show to me. And you could tell some of the more unknown acts were friends of his instead of people who could come together as a community. The only real professional act seemed to be Natatie Merchant. Last year was so much better!

All kinds of reverb killing the vocals on stage. No one sounded like themselves except for Natalie and maybe Connor. 2 songs a piece, running on and off the stage.. ..and our headliner Connor, kind of like an angry young man without a smile. Then the big encore. A Fogarty song, so popular that no one knew it. What about a Christmas related rock song? Wasn't this supposed to be Holiday Cheer?

bought tickets for a conor oberst show, ended up being a variety show with maybe 6 conor songs? plus the event was poorly organized - 10 minute set changes to only have a band play two songs. plus a 20 minute intermission - madness.

I am an avid listener of FUV and love Conor Oberst and Natalie Merchant however this concert was a total dud except for the bright spot of Natalie's crystalline voice. Suzanne;s Vega's set was a total downer and inappropriate for a holiday concert. The Catskill brothers couldn't even be bothered to dress as though leaving the house and if I want hill billy music I can go to the Ozarks. The endless jam of what's his name was completely unnecessary. Kept waiting through interminable acts (although Lone Bellow was good). Then because needed to catch a train, some of us do work, completely missed Conor's set which I hope was good. No one dressed in any kind of holiday outfit except for Carmel, djays were dull, no holiday spirit. Adding insult to injury so self congratulatory the next day ofn the station. Concert gets a c.

Music lineup was somewhat on the depressing side - the most "upbeat" being Natalie Merchant. Last year the event beyond amazing, with Iron and Wine, Nick Lowe, Glen Hansard, etc. - upbeat and musically exciting in every way. I will have study next year's lineup closely before purchasing tickets again.

I have gone to this show previously, and was disappointed in the show this year for a few reasons. The overall sound quality was poor I thought, and there were a lot of breaks for seting up purposes, and so as a result it felt disjointed and not fluid, as it has in the past. Natalie Merchant was great though, and the highlight for me, and Connor was enjoyable too. But overall it was just average IMO. However, glad to support the radio station, so worth it.

Stage packed with talent and great voices unfortunetly there was no cheer in the entire event. My friend and i left with such a down feeling. Nothing uplifting about the entire show. Other than Conner who played songs in the second set from his first album no other performer play their HITS. New is good but familiar is better. :( Sorry!

Very talented performers overall. For me, I enjoyed Natalie Merchant the best. Jonathan Wilson's band was super, but much much too loud. Lone Bellows has evolved. What I didn't like is the 2 to 6 minutes of waiting between each performer ; you could have had music playing , even if it was just listening to WFUV :) or showing a video clip. Because there was a wait between each performer, I would have preferred no intermission.

loved the show. loved the music. a great experience!

A wonderful evening - Only wish Jonathan Wilson played more than one song.

Excellent show...Conor and band were great, Lone Bellow were great and deserve to headline soon, Felice Brothers were fun, Suzanne Vega and Natalie Merchant were both excellent although I am not much of a NM fan she sure could sing! I was very impressed by Laura Marling ..Her 2 songs and musicianship were excellent..This is what FUV does, turn me on to new artists that at my old age 56 I can discover and enjoy. Wonderful evening!

I've waited 3 years to attend this event only to find out that I shouldn't have bothered. A few of the singers were extremely good but this whole idea of "Friends" was disappointing. The long wait between talents killed the evening as did one or two very disappointing performers . Next time I want to see Natalie or The Lone Bellows I'll just go to one of their own shows.

We were hugely disappointed that the two acts we came to see, The Lone Bellow and Laura Marling, played only 3 and 2 (respectively) songs each.The show was marketed as four acts at the time that we purchased tickets. It was a Conor Oberst concert with 7 other acts who each played a couple of songs. Had we known that we would not have bought tickets.

It was fantastic. Like a music festival curated by Conor Oberst.

I have attended the last five WFUV Holiday Cheer shows. Many years I was not completely familiar with all the artist. Yet each year I have left the Beacon completely blown away. Unfortunately not this year. The show was very disjointed. Many times the sound was mismanaged making it hard to hear the music through the 'noise'. It was a painful night. Going in we knew that it would be very difficult to top last years show...this one fell far short. From the opening to two thirds of the way through there was nothing cheerful or uplifting, quite the opposite...really dark and depressing. I'm not giving up, I will be at Holiday Cheer next year...hoping the line up of artist will be worthy of my time.

The 3 faves were Lonebellow, Natalie Merchant and of course Connor Oberst!!

great talent. but cheer was not part of the evening. in fact, the most depressing holiday concert ever. the guy next to me finally had to leave "I can't take any more of thus" and he's was soooo excited at the start. don't know who picked the playlist but it was a downer. However, Glen Hansard was amazing, had some great energy and I wish he had been the whole show. With some Amos Lee. Sine it was a fundraiser I could deal with it. I love Iron and Wine but have decided that live they are just not my cup of tea.

Great lineup with Calexico acting as house band for varied performers and taking the stage themselves, exceptional band !!

Loved the show! Best part was the interplay between musicians, playing each others' music. Loved seeing Nick Lowe, and the reverence the younger musicians gave him. Everyone singing "Cruel to be Kind" was a special thrill. Glen Hansard was amazingly energetic and fabulous. The bands giving homage to Bruce was great. An amazing night!

WFUV's Holiday Cheer show rocked my face off. Never in NYC have I seen such a wonderful collaboration between musicians who may or may not be familiar with one another's body of work. Calexico was outstanding as the house band. It looked as if all egos were checked at the door because there was a total FUV-fest on stage. While I enjoyed everyone, my favorite performance was Glen Hansard's cover of Drive All Night. When I heard he signed on for the show I bought my ticket hoping for a Christmas miracle... to hear that song live. He did not disappoint! I loved the Celtic/Latin/rock/roots beats and the final Hallelujah was awesome!

Happy to support Wfuv - great time --really good concert

This turned out to be an evening of absolute MAGIC!!! I believe anyone who was there had their life enriched if only for that evening. Thanks for making this happen. It was our Christmas present to each other and so well worth it.

Lovely show, so great to see such a variety of artists collaborate together, in such a beautiful space. Great variety of music and definitely a good bargin, since it's like 5 shows in one and you get to support public radio!

Holiday Cheer was Holiday Drear-y. A show full of downers. Need to rethink the headliner...and the "friends" s/he'll bring along next year.

Better this year than ever before. Great show, amazing artists.

Loved the mix of different artist coming on stage and singing a few. Broke it up and kept it fresh. Calexico is awesome to take on the role of houseband. I had never seen them live and am a full fledged fan. They are not to be missed

Fabulous performances by all artists ~ some I hadn't heard before!!! Great venue!!!!

A great show..the amount of talent on one stage was tremendous..Celexico was pumped up and you could sense the chemistry between the artists..Glen Hansard has great energy and super talent..

It was my first time going to such event and I bought all 6 tickets for my family whom I was treating for the holidays. We all love WFUV and the artists they play. The positives- the sound was amazing. And Calexico as the "house band" was great. The sound was tight and the performers seemed to enjoy playing together, etc. The negatives- The song selection was lackluster and underwhelming. Just way too mellow for a Holiday Cheer concert. There could have also been more radio personalities or performers getting the crowd engaged. I really enjoyed the couple dancing in the front and that kept us going. But overall, we were all disappointed and a few family members were falling asleep....hence we left a little early. I thought the second set was going to be more uplifting. I did enjoy Glen Hansard the most. He was energetic and what a great raspy voice. I am sorry to write this review but I would think twice before going again! :(

I haven't been to the Beacon theatre for about 20 years and I'm sorry I waited so long to return! The theatre was great! Each and every artist was spectacular and I particularly enjoyed Glen Hansard and Amos Lee! I brought a few friends along and hope to bring more next year! Happy Holidays and thanks FUV for putting on a great show

After many years attending this concert and being a long time FUV fan I was disappointed. The musical talent was phenomenal. Stage presence and spirit enjoyable . But the Tempo?! SO slow and drippy; not enough up paced, fun foot tapping selections. It did not feel cheerful and was more like putting people to sleep. People sitting next to me walked out. It was not what it could have been given the talent.

An unforgettable show with loads of talented artists.

This event was the definition of kitsch. Exaggerated sentimentality with not a single genuine moment. it was the worst concert ever!

Great show. I felt some of the artists could have played more of their popular songs.

Excellent show from beginning to end, in one of NYC's best venues.

My wife and I are huge Lucinda Williams fans and have seen her live over a dozen times. She has always put on a great show, but not this time. The "band" was not up to par with what we've come to expect. A very disappointing performance and over priced at that!

Event was fantastic but event management was terrible. It was difficult to focus on the show as they were still guiding people to their seats during the last set of Lucinda Williams. The door to the bar was often open during the performance and the noise of the screaming bar crowd could be heard over the artist. People wandered in and out of the theatre, while artists were playing, asking full rows to stand so they could take their seat. This was not just at the time of the first few artists, but through the full performance.

Great show...... Steve Earle was incredible . Shawn Colvin what a talented singer/songwriter .incredibly talented guitarist. Always enjoy Shelby Lynn. Lucinda what can I say . The woman always blows me away. Her band is awesome. All in all great venue with increibly talented musicians.

I pick my shows carefully and I want to thank the management at NY's Beacon Theater who for the last 2 shows I attented being disabled bent over backwards to make sure I was confortable. The show was a fundraiser for a radio station that's not in a big market big it's listeners grew up with the station and Shelby was playing. She was allotted 20 minutes andgave her soul in her time slot. Due to the fact that the show had to end at 10.00pm I left after Shawn Colvin wanted to see Lucinda but my body gave out but the performers gave more than 100% and the radio station was happy. Again thank you to the Beacon you know how to deal with disabled people , I'll be there tomorrow and I'll let you know because of my condition this is gonna be the last concert I 'm ever gonna see live. so ticketmaster you always got me an aisle seat and I thank you dearly for making my life a little easier. Sincerely, Robbie Wise

So enjoyed all of the artists - Lake Shore Dive, Steve Earl, Shelby Lynn (never liked her before but now I do), Shawn Colvin (my personal favorite of the bunch) and of course Lucinda Williams. Great but please tell Beacon theater NOT to let people in during the middle of a song....very rude and disruptive. People who are late can stand in back and wait until between songs.