Brian Slattery Photos
Erik Elligers (r.). Mat Crowley (l.).
The audience applauded even the sound check for the New Haven-based Goodnight Blue Moon, as four members of the seven-piece band — Erik Elligers on guitar, Mat Crowley on mandolin, Nancy Matlack on cello and banjo, and Vicki Wepler on violin, with all four providing vocals — regaled a crowd of about 70 on Thursday night, in the latest of Best Video’s run of outdoor shows since the weather warmed up in April.
“This is their first live gig since January 2020,” announced Hank Hoffman, Best Video’s executive director, as he held aloft the metal vase that is Best Video’s tip jar for the musicians. “That’s a lot of lost gig time, and they expect to make it all up today.” Hoffman’s joke got an appreciative laugh from the audience, but the spirit of it was serious; since the reopening in April, Hoffman has impressed upon his audiences the need to support New Haven’s musicians as venues continue to get back on their feet.
Nancy Matlack.
“What a beautiful night!” Elligers exclaimed about the weather from the stage. “Whoever arranged this, thank you.” Goodnight Blue Moon then proceeded a roll through a set of their originals, sprinkled with a few well-chosen covers, each of them highlighting the musical elements that have made the group one of New England’s most acclaimed folk acts. Even in its stripped-down version, the band featured lush, intricate instrument work from all four musicians; Elligers laid down rhythm and harmonic structure on the guitar, while Crowley took lead on the mandolin. Matlack and Wepler together then made the sound expansive. But at its heart, the sound of the band lies in the way all four musicians sing together, their voices blending, swooping, and soaring as one.
Vicki Wepler.
Live, the band also interspersed its songs with dry wit and an obvious eye toward having fun. “This song is called ‘New England,’” Crowley said to introduce a song that has become a staple of WNPR’s programming out of Hartford. “We’re in New England — I don’t know if you know that,” he deadpanned.
As the crowd was drawn further into the band’s music, Elligers felt the love. “Is it Friday?” he asked. “It feels like Friday.” The band then began to treat it like Friday, as the audience showed no sign of dispersing. Where earlier shows in the season had found audiences standing in the parking lot next to the patio, Best Video concertgoers have learned to bring their own seating and perhaps their own dinner, as they get beverages from the cultural center, which sells beer, wine, coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic drinks.
Later in the set, evidence mounted that many in the audience were longtime Goodnight Blue Moon fans. The band began to play “How Long,” from its 2012 release of the same name, a song that starts quiet and breaks halfway through into a galloping drumbeat. When the band reached that halfway mark, Elligers asked the audience to clap the rhythm instead. “Come on!” he said. “We don’t have a drummer.” The audience fell in fast, many of them mimicking the drum part as it is on the recording.
As the band wound down its set, Wepler took an opportunity to speak, thanking Best Video for its support of New Haven’s music scene, and thanking the audience for supporting Best Video and musicians in turn. “We’re so grateful to be here,” she said.
