FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center has announced five new shows — singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb in a special collaboration on May 10, roots-rock band BoDeans on May 25, blues guitarist and vocalist Keb’ Mo’ on June 15, power-pop singer and pianist Ben Folds on June 22, and folk musician Suzanne Vega on October 5.
The theater books and announces programming on a regular basis all year round.
“This new bundle of performers is an exciting piece of our live programming for 2024, forming a showcase of singer-songwriter stars Ben Folds, Suzanne Vega, and the very special union of Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb,” says Mahaiwe Executive Director Janis Martinson. “Keb’ Mo’ shines in his own right as the Grammy-winning powerhouse and blues fixture he is, and BoDeans offer a night of exhilarating rock.”
Lyle Lovett & Lisa Loeb
The Mahaiwe will present Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb: In Conversation and Song on Friday, May 10 at 8 p.m.
A singer, composer and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers. Since his self-titled debut in 1986, Lyle Lovett has evolved into one of music’s most vibrant and iconic performers. Among his many accolades, besides the four Grammy Awards, he was given the Americana Music Association’s inaugural Trailblazer Award, and was named Texas State Musician.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb started her career with the platinum-selling Number 1 hit song “Stay (I Missed You)” from the film Reality Bites. A trailblazing independent artist, Lisa was the first pop musician to have a Number 1 single while not signed to a recording contract. Lisa continues to craft irresistible pop songs for the 21st century, while designing eyewear, writing children’s books, and supporting non-profit causes. Lisa’s recent television appearances include John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight, Orange Is the New Black, About a Boy, Hot Tub Time Machine 2, King of the Nerds, AP Bio, as well as Sprout’s Sunny Side Up Show.
Tickets are $75 to $125, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
BoDeans
The Mahaiwe will present BoDeans on Saturday, May 25 at 8 p.m.
Founded and led by original frontman, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Kurt Neumann, BoDeans’ catalog consists of generational anthems such as “Good Things,” “You Don’t Get Much,” “Idaho,” and “Closer to Free,” just to name a few. However, they still reflect the soul and spirit of the modern American experience on their fourteenth full-length offering, 4 The Last Time.
BoDeans emerged out of Waukesha, Wis., in 1986 with the seminal debut, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams, produced by T Bone Burnett. Following Outside Looking In (1987), Home (1989), and Black and White (1991), Go Slow Down (1993) yielded “Closer to Free,” which famously served as the theme song for the smash hit television series Party of Five. With a sought-after discography, their music landed hundreds of television and film placements. Meanwhile, they transformed into a proven live phenomenon by supporting the likes of U2, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, The Pretenders, and David Bowie in addition to gracing the bills of Farm Aid, Summerfest, and ACL. Speaking to the group’s legacy, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame permanently enshrined BoDeans in the Midwest Artists exhibit.
Tickets are $33 to $43, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
Keb’ Mo’
The Mahaiwe will present Keb’ Mo’ on Saturday, June 15 at 8 p.m.
Keb’ Mo’s musical journey began nearly half a century ago, when he landed his first major gig in Papa John Creach’s band at the age of 21. Over the course of the next 20 years, Keb’ would go on to establish himself as a respected guitarist, songwriter, and arranger, and though he recorded a one-off album in 1980 under his birth name, Kevin Moore, it wasn’t until 1994 that he would introduce the world to Keb’ Mo’ with the release of his widely acclaimed self-titled debut. Critics were quick to take note of Keb’s modern, genre-bending take on old school sounds, and two years later, he garnered his first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album with Just Like You. In the decades to come, Keb’ would take home five more Grammy Awards; top the Billboard Blues Chart seven times; perform everywhere from Carnegie Hall to The White House; collaborate with many including Taj Mahal, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, The Chicks, and Lyle Lovett; have compositions recorded and sampled by artists as diverse as B.B. King, Zac Brown, and BTS; release signature guitars with both Gibson and Martin; appear in and compose music for films and TV shows like The Blues, Mike and Molly, and Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl; and earn the Americana Music Association’s 2021 award for Lifetime Achievement in Performance. NPR’s Mountain Stage hailed him as “one of the most decorated living blues artists,” while The New Yorker raved that “few musicians emblematize the blues like Kevin Moore,” and The New York Times praised “the subtle twists of his songwriting” along with his knack for “facing down desolation with a grin.”
Tickets are $45 to $95, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
This performance is sponsored by Berkshire Gas.
Ben Folds
Ben Folds will perform at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, June 22 at 8 p.m., with the return of his “Paper Airplane Request Tour.”
Born and raised in North Carolina, Folds first rose to fame in the mid-’90s with Ben Folds Five, whose acerbic, genre-bending take on piano pop helped define an entire era of alternative rock. After scoring multiple hit singles and a gold record with the band, Folds launched his solo career in 2001, releasing a series of similarly acclaimed albums that would firmly establish him as one of the most ambitious and versatile songwriters of his generation. For the past three decades, he’s toured as a pop artist, while also performing with some of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.
A New York Times Best Selling author and podcast host, Ben also composes for film, tv and theatre, guest stars in films and TV, and serves as the Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
What initially began years ago as a request for songs as encores will once again be a central element in Folds’ shows when he engages audiences to make their song requests via paper airplanes.
“The last time I did this on tour the response was overwhelming, with literally hundreds of paper airplanes with song requests being launched on cue from fans at the start of the second half of each of my concerts,” says Folds. “It’s the purest, most low-tech form of engagement that creates a special bond with my audiences.
Tickets are $65 to $120, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
Suzanne Vega
The Mahaiwe will present Suzanne Vega on Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m.
Widely regarded as one of the foremost songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been called contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world’s best-known venues. Known for performances that convey deep emotion, Vega’s distinctive, “clear, unwavering voice” (Rolling Stone) has been described as “a cool, dry sandpaper-brushed near-whisper” by The Washington Post, with NPR Music noting that she “has been making vital, inventive music” throughout the course of her decades-long career.
Bearing the stamp of a masterful storyteller who “observes the world with a clinically poetic eye” (The New York Times), Vega’s songs have tended to focus on city life, ordinary people and real-world subjects. Notably succinct and understated, her work is immediately recognizable—as utterly distinct and thoughtful as it was when her voice was first heard on the radio over 30 years ago.
Suzanne Vega will be joined on stage by her longtime guitarist, Gerry Leonard, performing a career-spanning show including favorites like “Tom’s Diner,” “Luka,” and more.
Tickets are $34 to $59, with discounts for Mahaiwe Members and individuals ages 30 and under.
Tickets
Tickets to BoDeans, Ben Folds, and Suzanne Vega go on sale to Mahaiwe Members on Thursday, March 7 at noon, and to the public on Friday, March 8 at noon.
Tickets to Lyle Lovett & Lisa Loeb and Keb’ Mo’ go on sale to Mahaiwe Members on Friday, March 8 at noon, and to the public on Wednesday, March 13 at noon.
Tickets can be purchased online at mahaiwe.org, or by calling or visiting the Box Office, 413-528-0100, on Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
To learn more about Mahaiwe Membership, contact Brenna Hull at 413-644-9040 x107 or brenna@mahaiwe.org, or visit mahaiwe.org/membership.
Individuals ages 30 and under are eligible for $15 youth tickets. Visit the Box Office or call 413-528-0100 Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors. More than 26,000 students from 75 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe’s school-time performances and residencies. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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