concert_goer | Wood Brothers | St. Paul & the Broken Bones @ Ruth Finley Person Theater, Santa Rosa, CA, 06/18/2025 (Reply)

A co-bill featuring two completely different bands. The night began with a solo half-hour set by Cece Coakley, a singer-songwriter from Nashville. Her songs turned out to be quite good and introspective, though the vocals and overall sound were a bit too indie for my taste. Still, it was a decent opener.

After a short break, the Wood Brothers took the stage. I had not seen them since 2017, and just like back then, they were an absolute joy. Chris impressively played the upright bass, Oliver added sharp guitar riffs and some great slide. The multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix was excellent too. And they performed a lot of awesome songs during their 90-minute set. I especially enjoyed the witty and sarcastic Little Bit Broken, poetically crafted Postcards from Hell, and powerful Shoofly Pie which transitioned right into Atlas. The only cover was a delightful version of I Got Loaded. What a set!

Then came another hour and a half of music, this time disco and funky soul from St. Paul and the Broken Bones. I had not seen them for some time too, since 2018. The Bones started with a catchy instrumental jam that especially showcased the guitarist and horn section. Then Paul Janeway came in and brought a lot of energy and emotion with his vocals, delivering a powerful Flow With It (You Got Me Feeling Like). The band played a good mix of old and new songs, as well as a couple more instrumental jams. They invited the Wood Brothers to join them for a surprising cover of Ophelia by The Band. That was one of the highlights of the set, though it was very strong overall. The encore featured three songs, and Paul stepped off the stage to walk through the audience and to the balcony during Sanctify.

It was a wonderful evening, though three and a half hours of music in the middle of the work week felt a bit much.

Set list (Wood Brothers, 7:47 PM — 9:18 PM): River Takes the Town, Alabaster, Stumbled In, Little Bit Sweet, Wastin' My Mind, Jitterbug Love, I Got Loaded, Luckiest Man, Little Bit Broken, Sing About It, Shoofly Pie, Atlas, The Muse, Loaded, Postcards from Hell, Little Blue, One More Day

Set list (St. Paul & the Broken Bones, 9:38 PM — 11:08 PM): Instrumental Jam, Flow with It (You Got Me Feeling Like), Fall Moon, Wolf in Rabbit Clothes, Ophelia (with Wood Brothers), Grass Is Greener, Instrumental Jam, All My Love (Sittin' in the Corner), Sushi and Coca Cola, GotItBad, Instrumental Jam, Apollo, Like a Mighty River (encore), Sanctify (encore), Call Me (encore)

Cece Coakley