Text by Mark Zelermyer; photo by Ralph Droms
Vance Gilbert sold out New Song’s sixth consecutive show and had the audience in the palm of his hand all night.
A gifted performer with a dynamic vocal range and style, Vance demonstrated masterful guitar techniques and excellent comic timing throughout his two sets. He covered favorites from his own canon, including “When Jimmy Falls in Love,” “Black Rochelle,” “Goodbye Pluto,” and “Simple Things,” along with pop classics and jazz and R&B standards. His version of “‘Round Midnight,” for example, channeled vocals by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Cookie Monster, and Ernie, not to mention jaw-dropping mouth-trumpet solos.
Vance was particularly enamored with the antique fire pumper at the rear of the stage, and wondered if he could get one in red. He easily mingled with the crowd at intermission and at the end of the night.
The most poignant part of the evening came at the conclusion, when Vance announced that this would be one of his last shows for a while as he was recently diagnosed with throat cancer. The effect chemo and radiation will have on his beautiful voice and guitar playing is unknown, but his friends and legions of fans have just launched a gofundme page to help with lost wages for the foreseeable future. Vance would love to come back to New Song, and we hope to make that happen.