Alumna returns in style

Tift Merritt walked onto the Memorial Hall stage Friday and immediately fell off it. Probably not the homecoming she envisioned.

But the show-opening incident was not indicative of how the rest of the night would go.

Merritt, a UNC alumna, played her concoction of country, rock and soul to the sold-out crowd's delight.

Headliner Nanci Griffith completed the performance, wandering through heart-felt folk and Americana.

After her fall, Merritt picked herself up and delivered a redeeming (and rocking) performance.

Rolling through a set that included cuts from both her albums Tambourine and Bramble Rose, Merritt never slowed her pace except to perform an acoustic solo from her forthcoming album and to relate memories from her days at UNC.

Songs like James Carr's soulful "Your Love Made a U-Turn" highlighted Merritt's musical diversity and showed her band's mastery of the instruments. Guitarist Brad Rice more than adequately substituted for the horn section on the track from Tambourine.

Merritt garnered a standing ovation before Griffith took the stage to offer her condolences for Merritt's pre-show mishap.

"It's happened to all of us one time or another," Griffith said.

And while she didn't rock as hard as Merritt, her music was no less potent, exploring themes reminiscent of America's heartland.

The songstress from Austin is perhaps best known for her performance of Julie Gold's "From a Distance," a song most notably recorded by Bette Midler.

Her musical associations range widely. She has performed Austin City Limits on many occasions and shared the stage with the likes of Emmylou Harris, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Indigo Girls.

Griffith has made a name for herself with her skilled finger picking, constantly changing guitar tunings and great songwriting.

The only song Griffith ever penned on piano, "Late Night Grande Hotel," highlighted her set, showing Merritt that songs don't have to be loud to rock. The harmonies were amazing.

While most of her performance was fairly quiet and subdued, she surprised the crowd with her dancing and scatting on "Beautiful," a homage to her stepfather and his big-band legacy.

Griffith's songwriting skill came to the fore on "Gulf Coast Highway," a sultry duet with pianist James Hooker about Highway 90.

The down-home themes of that song and others are precisely what American Roots music is all about - exactly what the Carolina Performing Arts Series was going for with this special selection.

At the night's end, Merritt joined Griffith for an encore performance of the Rolling Stones' "No Expectations."

It seemed appropriate, as both went above and beyond what anyone could have expected.

 

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.