10,000 Maniacs
The Kent Stage, Kent, OH
By Rob McCune
There’s something unmistakenly timeless about the sound of 10,000 Maniacs, a band that has been making music and touring on and off, in various permutations, for more than 40 years.
On their latest tour, founding members Dennis Drew (on keys) and Steve Gustafson and John Lombardo (both on guitar) back up Mary Ramsay, the Maniacs’ queen bee and vocalist since the departure of Natalie Merchant in 1994.
The Maniac sound made signature in the late ’80s and early ’90s—the jangle of the guitars and the lyrical lilting—remains, but enhanced by experience, is also eminently current, classically contemporary.
In large part, this resonance emanates from center stage, where the light converges on Ramsay, shimmying and shimmering in a pair of cat-eye sunglasses with a charm both vintage and vibrant, as well as ageless.
When Ramsey, a classically trained violinist since age 5, soothingly saws the strings of her ZETA Strados Modern 5-string violin, it combines with the instrumental chorus to create a sound that feels like it could serenade the aurora borealis.
Fitting since this band was founded in Jamestown, New York, a place which offers an above-average chance of viewing the Northern Lights.
During a tour stop in northeast Ohio, at The Kent Stage in college town Kent, the atmospheric, otherworldly sound of 10,000 Maniacs occupied two sets and a three-song encore. The performance blended the best bits of five out of nine studio albums with a thoughtful medley of melodically matched cover songs, including Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” Roxy Music’s “More Than This,” The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and a version of “Peace Train” by Cat Stevens that marked the group’s first mainstream success.
The hits of the band’s heyday from 1987 to 1992 dominated the setlist, with six selections from “In My Tribe,” an album featuring chart-topping singles “Like the Weather,” “What’s the Matter Here?” and “Don’t Talk,” along with the no-less-poetic “Hey Jack Kerouac,” “City of Angels” and “My Sister Rose.”
The evening ended with a rousing rendition of arguably the most distinctly Maniac melody, “These Are Days,” which aptly summarized the experience:
“These are days you’ll remember. … It’s true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you.”
Rob McCune is Every_Thing_After_Photo on Instagram, where he shares his concert photography and reviews, as well as clips from his “Every.Thing.After” podcast, with interviews with musicians and bands.
