Leon Redbone

I bought tickets to see this old-man-should-retire as a Christmas present for my husband who loves him (not anymore!). We were very excited about the show as my husband had seen Leon play back in the 70's. Well let me tell you - HE SUCKED! He spent the first 15 minutes tuning his guitar. Then sang a pitiful song with very few words. He tried clowning around with his piano player who seemed at a loss with his behaviour. He went on to do some 'picking' on his guitar and then threw in a few verses here and there. He was monotonous and boring and I almost stood up and asked where the 'candid camera's' were. Seriously...this is a SHOW that he expects people to pay for??? He tuned up his guitar between each 'song' and pretty much ignored the audience. I can't believe anyone would give him a good review. After 1 hour and 15 minutes of being astounded by his boorish and disrespectful performance (we paid $70 for 2 tickets and $90 for dinner at the Birchmere), we finally got up and left. I had been looking forward to this show for months and can't tell you how disappointed we were. Never again.

The last time we saw Leon Redbone--years ago in the Midwest--he said that he had lost his voice and so did his whole act with whistling and hand gestures. This time, he seemed to have no playlist prepared, tuned and retuned his guitar throughout his entire act and seemed to forget the words to most of the songs he finally did play. His musicianship is still marvelous and his voice still sonorous but even us poor schmucks at the little Birchmere venue deserve some amount of preparation and focus.

Leon Redbone, with his wonderful sense of humor, stage presence, and unusually deep voice, produced another fine performance at The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. Of course, it helps that he is a gifted guitarist, fine whistler, and even plays the harmonica with Cajun style and class. It has been ten years since I last saw him perform, and the fact is he looks as old now as he did then. Of course he did all his aging more than thirty years ago. I was touched enough to sing "My Blue Heaven" with him, and would have joined him on more songs had I been as familiar with them as he was. Accompanied by a talented pianist, Leon Redbone performed for a pleased audience.

Leon Redbone is a very talented guy... if only he could put some energy into his performance. At times he was barely audible. We struggled to stay awake during the show. The magician who opened for Redbone did card and rope tricks. Are you kidding me?

I was absolutely mesmerized by Leon Redbone! A elusive sort of Rennaissance man who exudes rare musical talent when he brings the fiesty combination of smokin' ragtime style guitar, accompanied by his magical gravelly voice, along with his harmonica adds music that is reminiscent of times long ago--Redbone duets masterfully with his pianist which made for a delightful evening that I truly wished would never have ended! Bring him back soon!!!

I realize that one person cannot sing for an entire two-hour show, but there was too much piano and too little singing. The piano player was great. The bantering with the audience was amusing. But I paid to hear Mr. Redbone sing.

Leon Redbone's a treasure, and so is Milwaukee's Shank Hall. Accompanied by piano and lit only by a table lamp at his side Redbone played music it seems only he's left to play. Quick hands, a quick wit, and a voice that's all his own, I'm tempted to follow him down to Chicago tonight for his next performance, if only I could.

We 've enjoyed Leon Redbone's music style for years. This concert ended all that in a few feeble attempts of him trying to remember some lines in a few songs we hadn't heard before. He wouldn't even attempt any old standards like, Lazybones or She ain't Rose. When he did try to sing, he was only able to get out about two lines of a song and then play, or try to whistle to the music. His "sidekick" piano player, wow, what was that about? Seemed like the piano player was to keep Leon "straight" about which words to sing or which tune? to play. My disappointment was on my expectation and my waste of money that could have been spent better.

Leon Redbone is a master guitar player, musical historian, and entertainer. This concert was typical low key Leon but fun. After seeing Leon over the past 40 years, some things never change.

I have loved Leon Redbone since the '70s. He did not disappoint. It was so great to see him in such a intimate gathering. I also loved his piano player. He was terrific. I wish he had sold some of his CDs at the event. I hope they come back next year.

Leon Redbone still has it (whatever it is). I had a great time!

Between his talent and his style, I never stopped smiling!

Believe it or not, I am a fan of artists pushing boundaries and buttons. If this was Leon's goal, he succeeded. Most of the attendees I spoke with were bored and/or annoyed with his show. At first, I thought his mentioning about wanting a "Sing-Along" song was a funny commentary on how no one seemed to know the words of what he was singing. But after, oh... the 58th time he mentioned it, the charm was long gone. During the night, Leon kept asking the piano player what song he should play: 90% of the time he would follow it up with "Is that a Sing-along song? Oh, that's a good one. That's a good sing-along song. What key is that in? F? F... for Failure." Funny the first time, not funny after repeating it half a million times. It would have been all the forgivable if he would have followed up the joke by playing the actual song. Unfortunately, that only happened a few times. Instead, he'd repeat a few bars on his guitar of some other song that was in his head and then the whole process would start over again. I didn't count how many songs he actually started and finished, but I would make a guess that it was about 10 songs (that lasted about 3 mins each) over a 2 hr period. The songs he did manage to complete, were lovely. He's a great guitarist and a wonderful singer... In fact, I think it was because of these brief moments of actual musical performance that I felt so disappointed about the overall show: they were tiny, infrequent reminders of how amazing the night could have been.

I loved Leon. I have never seen him before, but my boyfriend told me he had heard of him and wanted to see him live. He is unique, funny and very talented. I would see him again

My wife and I agree, this was not one of Leon's best performances. It was shoter than the last time we saw Leon in Buffalo. He seemed to spend even more time than usual goofing with the board guy. And what happened to the white suit? Call it Leon lite.

I don't think many people get humor anymore. This man is amazing on guitar and very funny. The two hour non stop set was entertaining all the way through.

The opening act -- Eric Henning, a magician -- was disappointing. The drunk folks up next to the stage loved him; the rest of us, not so much. He was technically proficient, but it was nice when he stopped talking. Leon Redbone, however, was absolutely fabulous. I am so glad the Birchmere had him back. We'll go see him whenever he's in town.

The opening act of the local magician was lame. Even lamer was the highly anticipated performance of Leon Redbone. He hardly played anything, because, according to him, he was never in tune and couldn't get his guitar tuned properly. He spent most of the show mumbling about his strings and every once in a while playing and singing short snippets of some songs. He acted like he was on drugs during most of the show. The show was mostly the Paul Asaro (his piano player) show with Leon trying to tune his guitar. Paul Asaro was also laboring with the out of tune piano that The Birchmere always has on stage. The biggest attraction for me was not the headliner but the fact that recently retired Channel 4 news anchor Joe Krebs and his wife were attending the show and sat behind me. I wasted my money on this crap show!

He spent more time tuning the guitar than performing. There was no energy. The piano player was more entertaining and played more than the main attraction.

Leon Redbone is of course a great entertainer and artist, but at the Birchmere on 3/31, he was off. He continually complained that he could not tune his guitar, that his guitar strings were bad. For someone with his experience, this excuse, given throughout the show, was unacceptable. His usual banter was off, and way too much delay between songs. He was not receptive to requests for the most part, and a lot of his most loved songs were requested to no avail. As a result of his continual delays, he played few songs. Although I love his work, I would not opt to see him live again.

Last night's show started with a funny magician as the warm up act. And a cute family of 4 sat in the front, everyone, including 2 little girls, dressed like Leon--fedoras, mustaches, shades. Leon played seated, and spent most of the beebling. Great guitar work, but each song was preceded by 2-3 minutes of him tuning the guitar, complaining about the strings not even lasting 6 months, asking people if they had perfect pitch, asking for requests (which he never played), dialog with the piano player (does the audience know that song? will they sing along? what key is this? do I know it?), taking swigs from a 'coffee cup,' and yelling out, "rise Lazaus." He'd preface each song with a story about the minstrel performer who wrote it. The piano player who accompanies him is outstanding, a couple of times he took over and did a solo song. Of the perhaps 7 songs Leon did, the only one I recognized was "Ain't Misbehaving." He sang about half, the others he whistled and once he played harmonica. He did "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" as an encore, and the audience sang along that time only.

My husband and I have been waiting to see Leon Redbone for some time. I saw him about 28 years ago in New Jersey but my husband had never. I bought the tickets as a Christmas present. Although we enjoy any outing we attend together, Leon seemed to be totally taken off guard by a guitar that needed to be tuned after every song. The piano player was wonderful and filled in the gaps. We wondered on the way home why no back up guitar. That was so distracting that it really took the enjoyment from the show.

He has lost his spark I found for what we paid to see him he could have sang more and stop with the tuning of his gutar

Leon Redbone whispered, whistled, growled, gargled, yodeled beyond the top of his range and finally sang in his deep deep penetrating voice. The lights were low, nearly dark so I closed my eyes to listen. He was jazz and blues, Tin Pan Alley, a minstel who changed pace like Django. He mumbled misquoted keys (people s key of b-flat) and claimed authorship of songs written before he was born. He invited us to sing along on very obscure songs with no lyrics. It was an ample set inculding Ditty wah ditty, I aint got nobody, Marie, My Blue heaven, and Aint misbehaving. The encore was Shine On, Harvest Moon, to which we could sing along.

Leon Redbone is always a pleasure to hear. The Birchmere is a wonderful place to catch an act like this. Food was better than average and the wait staff were wonderful.

This was potentially the worst show that I've seen at the Birchmere. Mr. Redbone perpetually "tuned" his guitar and in thirty minutes was lucky to play three songs and one of those was a piano solo and not him.

Rambling between songs is part of Redbone's show but he spent most of his time on stage trying to tune his guitar. Played ten songs tops. Pretty sad.

I found I was greatly disappointed at the lack of professionalism in that Leon spent the majority of the concert tuning his guitar and applogizing for it. However, it all became old and VERY boring. Additionally, he seemed to be disconnected early in the show, drunk or stoned, but finally woke up about 1/2 hour before the end of the concert. I have been a big fan for a long time, I have seen him at 2 other times and he has performed professionally, but I came away from this concert very disappointed that I spent $40 a ticket for guitar tuning demonstration.

When Leon performs he is great...great voice and great sound. At each performance he seems to have a serious problem tuning his guitar strings. Seems like he could take care of this in advance or have a spare guitar at the ready. This situation was distracting and annoying. It did not add to the performance.

Came out did about 5 songs. Complained about guitar and left. The crowd was in a lynching mood.

As a musician, Leon Redbone is awesome. Making fluid and effortless work of his guitar parts and throwing in small flourishes such as turning his hand over the top of the fret board to hit accent notes and PRETENDING to get lost just to drop in again back into the song. The audience was strange as I can see from other reviews, his fans seem to have lost their sense of humor all over the country. He introduced "sing along" songs and the audience was silent. I sang along and got an elbow from the person next to me, my wife, because no one else was singing. Then Leon played off and said, "since that went so well, let's do another one." I laughed all over the place at his goofy jokes, whimsical approach to the guitar, and how he kept his humor with the weird vibe in the room. Prior to this I only saw his performances on the first season of SNL. If you would rather sit quietly and watch a motionless Leon Redbone wear sunglasses and play the album version of songs he recorded 30 years ago don't see him live. His performance is part performance art, part jazz concert, and yes he played Harvest Moon so everyone could sing along. I compare it to seeing Tom Waits. If you just want a musician to keep playing the stuff they played in 1976 you are sick. People change, especially jazz artists, and Leon Redbone is a great jazz guitar player. His piano player accompanying him was excellent too. Go and be entertained and yes, there might be an opening act. A previous reviewer couldn't believe that there was 45 minutes of something before the headliner came out. Who are these people?

I don't think I'll go to any more of these shows. I hate these promotional pre-shows for unknown artists. It's like going to groceries to buy milk with strings attached to it. So if you wanted to buy milk you have to buy also a box of some junk food which comes with it. Nobody told me when I bought my ticket that before seeing Leon Redbone I had to waste my time and money to listen to some local comedian I did not care for. I like Leon, his voice, his humor, informal atmosphere on his shows, and especially his original re-interpretation of that wonderful old American music that nobody cares for anymore. I live about 1 hour away from Mobile. After a long working day I had to rush to Mobile Saenger to see Leon. But they pushed to me to see somebody else instead for first 45 minutes. Then eventually came Leon Redbone. But I had lo leave early, at 9:45, because I still had to drive back home for another hour. And next morning go to work. Why they don't put these promotional pre-shows 1 hour earlier?! E.g. at 7 PM? Who cares for it he can came 1 hour earlier. But many people from audience have long drive home, plus have to work next day. They can't stay till 11 or 12 pm. Why do you waste their time pushing them some performance junk food they don't care for!?

I love Leon! His music and his styling and his voice - just phenomenal! But, I've never seen him live, and didn't know what to make of some of his menial banter. Was he drunk or just pretending to be drunk (remember Foster Brooks?)? He sang "Sweet Sue" at two different points during the show. When his fantastic piano man had a solo, Leon fluttered and flailed his hands around in a very distracting, disrespectful manner. And mumbled a good bit between songs, but I think that was part of his show. I'd love to see another live show, to get a genuine feel for his performance.

I have always admired Leon Redbone's talent, but this show was terrible. I kept waiting to see if it the whole thing was a joke, and he was just pretending to be that bad, but the show finally ended, and it never got better. Slurred words, off key and off beat music were just a couple of the problems. We could barely understand what he was saying the entire night, because he spoke quietly and mumbled. He sang 3 songs the whole evening and all the rest of the night was just him making mumbled jokes and acting like he was forgetting the words. It was embarassing and insulting that he let us pay money for the show, but didn't follow through and provide us with entertainment for our money. That showed a real lack of integrity and I won't admire him anymore after that evening.

Leon Redbone gave a great program. The comedian supposedly to entertain and warm-up the audience was terrible or worse. Leon Redbone I'd drive 500 miles to see him again.

Very enjoyable evening. I'd never heard Leon Redbone before (guess he's a little before my time). For those like me, he's an 'anachronist' - the style, songs, demeanor, humor all derive from earlier times (circa late 1800's-early 1900's). His show was very relaxing and gentle, almost as if he were performing while you were sitting on an easy chair at home.

A real original, one of the few and a great performer. Unfortunately a big part of this intimate show was ruined for most of the audience and the performers by a sound system geared to a heavy metal arena concert. What were you thinking? Redbone himself complained about it several times and was ignored until the show was more than half over.

Leon Redbone is unusual to say the least--from his high top lace-up shoes to his dark glasses to his 1930s-1940s musical selections. He's humorous and he's talented, but his running commentary about whether the music was too loud or not got old fast. Sound levels should have been checked before the show. Glad to have him, but will pass the next time.

Leon Redbone is still Leon!! His voice was excellent, his guitar playing perfect and the side man on keyboards excellent. Leon performed many of his classic songs and they sounded as fresh as decades ago. The only drawback was that the young person on the sound board would not listen to Leon when he used humor to repeatedly tell him to lower the sound. He finally did so about half way through the show. Great banter with the crowd from Leon. All in all, a highly recommended artist and show.

The opening act was okay, a good guitarist with banal lyrics whose songs ran a little long. Leon was accompanied by a keyboard player who was very good, that portion of the show was fantastic. I'd go to see Leon Redbone again in a minute. This was the first show for the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall. They started on time, the climate and seating was comfortable and the concession prices were reasonable. I'd definitely go to another show at that hall.

Redbone was either drunk, senile or just did not care or all three when he bored people in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. He babbled, sured and played a song twice in less than 15 minutes. All we asked was that he perform his song and he could not do it. The seating in the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall, although, new were folding chairs very close together and very uncorfortable. Fat people were hanging out on both sides.

Leon Redbone is a HOOT! He "flirted" with the audience and is a true artist from the old school!

The consumate musician, as always, Mr. redbone was fabulous.

Late Saturday night was like magically stepping back in time to a Speakeasy of the 1920s. The Ark Club venue in Ann Arbor is intimate and no seat is bad. Seeing Leon Redbone and Paul Asaro together is like getting a two-for-one deal of the highest order. They not only mesh well but each of them brings a talent that is amazing. Each was able to cast a spell of being some-when else of days gone by in the roaring 20s and earlier. The 2 hours seemed to go by in a blink. Paul's playing is unequaled in my experience and Leon's singing speaks for itself.

Very disappointed. We were excited to listen to this great musician play and sing not mumble and ramble on about nothing.Performance started late and we wouldn't have minded that had there been more music and less talk. The piano player was very talented but felt that he had to work to keep Leon on task. Next time he comes to town, we will celebrate by playing one of his CD's in our own home.

This was a great show....so glad I was able to go, been a huge fan for 30 years!!!!

My wife and I were seated in row M, Section 1 at teh Bethel Woods Event Gallery. While the acoustics were great, neither of us could see the stage due to all of the seats being on the same level. All we could see were heads in front of us. While they were very nice heads, they are not what we paid for to see. This was very disappointing because much of Leon Redbone's performance depends on being able to see him (humor, playing style, etc.) I would strongly recommend either raising the stage or using risers for the seats.

Great concert, although Leon seemed to be more talkative than I liked but, when he did play it was awesome.

Just as I remembered him. I still don't know how old he is.

Leon was charming--accompaniment was great. I fulfilled a long-time goal to see him in person, but much prefer his recorded performances....Glad I went.

Great show awesome place. Hope he comes back soon.

I have never had the opportunity to see Leon Redbone in person so seeing him for the first time at the Alladin Theater in Portland, OR gave me an opportunity to be up close and personal with this most enigmatic performer. A respectful, mysterious, fun loving and charming experience. I highly recommend seeing Mr. Redbone in person when you have the opportunity.

This won't be an intellectual review, just my impressions. Leon is a fabulous musician. His command of the guitar is wonderful to hear. That said, I was a little disappointed by his concert in Portland. He seemed to be taking advantage of the adoration of his audience by doing a rather unpolished show. There were long pauses between songs, sometimes filled with funny banter, but sometimes not. I was sort of reminded of a Bob Dylan concert I once attended where Bob performed several numbers with his back to the audience. I guess I expect someone as good as Leon Redbone to bone up more for his fans.

My wife and I have long been Leon Redbone Fans. Last night at the Aladdin we had another couple with us who had never heard of him. I tried to explain his style before the show when they asked about his music. I told them they'd just have to come and see for themselves. Well, they were overwhelmed with his 20's-30's, slow and fast moving tunes, his low and high range and dry humor. Again, we were taken out of the outside environment and allowed to just lay back and enjoy his song. Bring him back. We all four went out the door singing in our low voices to the sounds of Ain't Misbehavin. Next year? We'll bring out some more friends.

He still has a great voice but we did not hear enough of it, and he acted 20 years older than he really is. Overall a disapointment.

A true guitar virtuoso with great piano accompaniment. Song selection was from 20s and 30s. Some early technical difficulties with audio but that was soon solved. Leon's voice is unique.

It takes special people to appreciate Redbone's act as he "walks on the other side of the ice." Such a fun concert - and his piano player is a great addition. Bring him back! Only disappointment was his not playing his familiar hits. The Orpheum is a wonderful venue.

did not play enough music. did more talking than anything else. he seemed lost for matreial. i have seen mr. redbone 4 times before and would still buy another ticket to see him again. his extensive arsenal of music was not evident on april 6 performance.

When he entered the stage (late) you could tell he was not up to par. And he said so. All in all he did put on a good show, and his interaction with the people was very good. I will see him again, we all have times when we are not feeling well. My friend had never seen Leon Redbone, and I was dissapointed that he was not up to par, however my friend enjoyed the show. I like the Ark Theater in Ann Arbor, small and decent seating layout, good sound system and friendly staff.

Show started a half hour late. Performance was excellent but there could have been more content.

First discovered Leon Redbone on Saturday Night Live in the 70's. My impression of him then was Unique. After following his career, buying his albums and seeing him live 5 or six times, I still call him Unique. While we had to wait 35 minutes for him to show up last night, it was worth the wait - sort of like an old friend took a bit longer to come visit you and you don't mind at all. About his performance - first of all I would call Leon an entertainer. Wether his was singing or talking - he held everyone's attention. I would be enterained by him by just sitting and talking. Last night I was impresed by his guitar playing - all I can say about it is that he is simply amazing - and he does it effortlessly. Now I don't mean this to be a criticism, but his voice isn't what it used to be years ago. He did the Sheik of Araby on request and hit every note, but the power, if that is the right word to use, wasn't there. It didn't matter - it was a faultless rendition that I compared to when he was younger - something that I don't even do for myself. All in all it was a great eveneing - and I can't wait for him to come back to Ann Arbor - or as an alternative - be in an area when he performing.

How many times has Leon Redbone appeared at the Ark in the past 35 years? Twenty? Thirty? You'd think by now that he'd have figured out a working setlist -- or that he'd at least have learned after decades in show business to come to the stage prepared. His show last night at Ann Arbor's venerable folk club was a huge disappointment. The veteran performer not only started the show 40 minutes late (an inconsiderate act, considering both the older crowd and the club's early weeknight curfew) but seemed to be stumbling through his repertoire, and spent the lion's share of the evening noodling on the guitar between songs and repeating the same lame jokes/excuses ("Did I tell you I've been sick?") and first verses over and over. I think the rest of the audience was as surprised and disappointed as I was.

Leon Redbone was over 1/2 hour late coming out, and spent most of the evening rambling repetitively. He sang a few of his well-known tunes, but we were lucky if there were 10 all evening. Overall, very disappointing.

Mr. Redbone's guitar playing and vocal skills I would guess at one time were, and maybe still are exceptional, however when one chooses to start a performace half in the bag and 40 minutes late, it's no wonder the result was disapointing.

Very good show as usual. He has control of the stage and the audiance.

Leon Redbone was either drunk or extremely tired on March 5th. He couldn't remember a lot of words to songs, and wasted a lot of time during his performance doing a finger show.

Amazing show, very happy to have witnessed Mr. Redbone perform live in this intimate setting. Check that one off the bucket list. Now let's talk about that sing'a'long?