Review
POCO’S SOFT ROCK SOOTHES S. STATION CROWD
By Dean Johnson, Boston Herald
Members of the country-rock band Poco never thought that 25 years after the group was founded they would be doing free gigs in railroad stations.
But there they were, Thursday afternoon, on a stage under the clock in the middle of South Station. After an often charming and mostly acoustic hourlong show, guitarist/vocalist Rusty Young was upbeat about the experience.
“In the old days, ” he said, “it would have flipped us out to try and do something in a place like this without electric guitars. It was a challenge, but it was really fun. But then, Boston has always been a fun place for Poco.”
The group played more than a dozen tunes, ranging from older Poco hits, “Heart of the Night” and “Crazy Love” to the Buffalo Springfield chestnut “Kind Woman” and unreleased material from the upcoming collaborative album featuring Young and former Doobie Brothers member Patrick Simmons.
The audience of more than 4,000 was the largest yet for the WBOS-FM concert series. They sang along with some songs, greeted others with applause and rewarded the band with a standing ovation at the end of the set. The quarted, clearly surprised by the reaction, responsed with some spirited playing, highlighted by mostly dead-on four-part harmonies and some stellar pedal-steel guitar from Young.