January 25 2025 Pawtucket, RI

My bride and I needed a mid winter getaway so we bid farewell to the grown children and drove down to Pawtucket RI to one of the meccas of both the Max Creek universe and the live music scene, The Met. It’s been nine years since my only visit to this fabled establishment, to see Golden Gate Wingmen in the summer of 2016. And I have never seen Max Creek there, which seemed like an egregious omission from my ever growing Max Creek collection/obsession.

The room was packed, rumored to be sold out, but still just enough room to comfortably float around. The crowd was filled with friends and acquaintances, as if a meeting of Max Creek anonymous. It was almost like taking the front five hundred people from Strangecreek or Wormtown and installing them into a nightclub. Two bars deftly handled the thirst of everyone, and the staff was friendly and ready for a night of Creek as much as the audience.

Mark Mercier opened the show with “Walking in Jerusalem” and we were off and running. Murawski’s “Emotional Railroad” gave way to “There is a Time” by the Dillards. This version featured Scott on the mandolin which was an unexpected treat. Murawski warned us not to get our hopes up about his mandolin playing, intimating that he may have just learned the song that day, heck he may have learned the mandolin itself that day.

The rest of the first set was concise but electric, featuring John Rider’s “Devil’s Heart.” I asked him during set break if it’d been a while since that was played and he responded “I can’t remember if it’s been a while or I played it last week…” Ah, Max Creek, how we love you.

Friends met up during set break, sharing stories, expressing gratitude, breathlessly awaiting set two. The band did not disappoint and came out with a blistering second set that lasted hours. I was not familiar with the opener, Across the Great Divide, by the Band, which was deftly delivered by Mark Mercier. Bill Carbone took center stage behind his drum kit with a vocal delivery of Bob Dylan’s “She Belongs to Me” which was upbeat and feisty. Frankly I think it is a great choice by Carbone on vocals.

A very lengthy “Wild Side” took us on a journey. The immediate counterpoint was “Pissed Off” which was spirited to be sure. The cover rareties continued with Buffalo Springield’s “For What It’s Worth” which is a song that has always been dear to me because it was the first song I could play and sing at the same time, a revelation from my late teenage bedroom that still sticks with me. “Blood Red Roses” gave way to “Drums” which featured a cool cowbell section provided by Jamemurrel Stanley and great interplay between Stanley and Carbone. In fact Stanley was on fire throughout the night with some incredible djimbe playing.

One of my favorite Grateful Dead songs, Loser, was next with Murawski feeling it. The crowd sang along with gusto and not a whiff of the fatigue that comes with a lengthy show. John Rider’s “Slow Down” finished the set and the band left the stage for a brief time. The encore was a lengthy “Windows” which brought us back to our Max Creek roots.

It was an extremely satisfying night of music, touching on all of the things that we love about Max Creek. And it was great to experience it in one of the rooms that is a second home for Creek freaks. The Met is very welcoming. The sound was impeccable, really some of the best that I have heard in any nightclub of that capacity. Sound man Stephen DesJardins is as much a part of the band (and monitor man Mike Maresca, too) as anybody and his ‘playing’ that night was incredible. You could hear every note, feel every vibe, and the volume was not remotely overwhelming. A treat for the ears!

For whatever reasons, we are not promised a tomorrow. So enjoy life while you can, go to your favorite club, see your favorite band, dance like nobody is looking, and love freely. If we could all fine a little more opportunity to do that, than the world will be a better place. See y’all down on the Creek.

ALMOST WHOLE SHOW AUDIO (missing Loser, battery died, sorry! You can use the arrows to toggle between songs).

Upcoming Max Creek tour dates:

Fri 02.21.25 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton MA TICKETS
Sat 02.22.25 Stage One Fairfield Theatre Company Fairfield CT TICKETS
Fri 03.14.25 The Parkville Sessions Hartford CT EARLY SHOW TICKETS LATE SHOW TICKETS
Fri 03.28.25 Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox Denver CO TICKETS
Sat 03.29.25 Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox Denver CO TICKETS
Fri 04.11.25 Broad Brook Opera House Broad Brook CT TICKETS
Sat 04.12.25 Broad Brook Opera House Broad Brook CT TICKETS
Sat 05.24.25 Strangecreek Greenfield MA TICKETS
Sat 06.14.25 Collinsville Street Fair Collinsville CT
Sat 07.12.25 Summer Jam Campout Maine TICKETS

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