Seattle, Wa July 16, 2008 Woodland Park Zoo

This was our first zoo concert of the year - normally we attend everyone as we live very close and have two young children who get in free - and it was a wonderful reintroduction. We just returned from a family trip to Italy and were excited to get back in the swing of the Seattle Summer. We’ve seen Marc Cohn and Aimee Mann at the zoo before, but not together. The show was very mellow, lots of people and enjoyable. There have been some changes to the layout of the field including a removal of the speakers that are normally about half-way up the field so the back of the crowd can hear better (that’s where we were so tough to hear words), a closing off of part of the hill where the kids play (bummer!) and ommitting the canopy over the sound board (due to GREAT weather). Both artists have relatively new albums out so we got a good dose of those plus some of the classic tracks.

Marc Cohn was up first with a small, tight band; stand-up bass, guitar, small drum set/percussion and of course Marc on the keys. I missed the name of the first couple of songs (off the new ablum) but got there in time for 29 Ways, Listening to Levon (new album), Walking in Memphis, Miles Away and the encore Silver Thunderbird (my fav Marc song). He sounded good and the band was tight. The Zoo is the perfect venue for him - intimate, good accoustics and a loving crowd. Marc’s new album is called “Join the Parade” and you can listen to it and/or buy it at http://www.rhapsody.com/marccohn/jointheparade. I like the album quite a bit. It’s a little moodier and his voice is more John Hiatt-ish, but I like it.

Aimee Mann came on stage about 1/2 after Marc was done and was more chatty than last time we saw her. She complained about the sun (again) but had some new big sunglasses that she was quite pleased with. She kicked off her set with “Looking for Nothing” and then “Freeway” from her new album “@#%&*! Smilers” (which is an interesting album name). She played some songs from the soundtrack that ALMOST won her a grammy (as she pointed out) and then some of here more well known songs such as Last Stop and I’m About to Find. She has an amazing voice that is part Chrissy Hide, part Elvis Costello, but very unique.

Wonderful show, great crowd, good to be back in Seattle attending shows.