Packed the lumbar pillow and braved the State Theater for an excellent show by David Bromberg and company Friday. He and the band haven’t lost much since I first saw him 35 years ago as the opening act for Hot Tuna at SUNY Binghamton when I was still in high school.
Back in the day, says Bromberg (if you can believe him), he played a now-defunct theater here in Ithaca that had a strip club nearby that employed a dancer who danced to one of his songs, and she came over and danced for the concert. Here’s the story.
Sharon (from 20 years ago): ‘It won’t cost you no money, boy. You got to pay with your heart.’
Here’s what the band looks like now:
Hustling across the street into the theater I noticed a car with some bizarre bead work animals on the hood. Little did I know that it was the art of Bromberg’s wife, Nancy Josephson, who leads The Angel Band (they opened the show and sang back-up during the main act). Check out her cars/bead/other media art here (and click older to see more).
She’s also been working to raise money (and hope) for Haiti since long before the earthquake:
Wow, that care… I think I want it. At least enough to keep parked in my driveway.