Peter Case
Mohawk Place, Buffalo
September 25, 2004

By Kevin J. Hosey

Having left Buffalo/Western New York about 30 years ago, it isn’t 100
percent accurate to call Peter Case shows in Buffalo homecomings, but as he showed in late 2004 with this show at Mohawk Place (and the continuation elsewhere), special things can happen when he returns.
Touring solo and supporting his “Who’s Gonna Go Your Crooked Mile” compilation CD, Case started off the show, just voice and acoustic guitar, with, what else, “Crooked Mile,” a somewhat upbeat telling of his and no doubt other musicians’ career, and followed it up with a real chestnut, “Put Down Your Gun,” from the “The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar” (no wonder we call it the “Blue Guitar” album), both sounding buoyant and heartfelt, and Case’s voice was very strong.
Peter Case on stage at the Mohawk
The storyteller in Case, obvious in his music, came out in humor and wonder now, as he related a story that occurred just after his previous Buffalo show. He said two Secret Service agents came to the show after Buffalo in 2003, “including one guy from the `rock detail’ who was wearing a colorful shirt with martini glasses on it who said he liked my music. When I asked him what were his favorite songs of mine, all he could think of was the Plimsouls’ `Million Miles Away’ from the `Valley Girl’ soundtrack,” Case said, shaking his head and smiling. Apparently, the Secret Service had heard about some anti-Bush Administration comments Case made while playing in Spain and Europe and asked him about them: “They did a whole in-depth Nexus search and found out things about me I didn’t even know.” Case befriended the agent and the next time he played in Washington, D.C., called him and got a post-show tour of the White House. Case then dedicated a new song, “Wake Up Call,” slamming Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld and the Abu Ghraib prisoner torture scandal, added a period lament, “My Generation’s Golden Handcuff Blues,” a bluesy tune on which he virtually punched his guitar strings, and dedicated “Not a Second Time” to George W. Bush (the show was pre-election).
Case then appeared to have a blast covering Memphis Minnie’s “Bumble Bee,” becoming almost possessed with his slightly garbled buzzing as well as his intense guitar playing. His performance of “Something’s Coming,” which he said he started writing September 11, 2001, and restarted September 13, 2001, included audience participation on the chorus on a hopeful song of renewal and change and rejection of hatred. Case also played several songs by Mississippi John Hurt, including an excellent cover of “Beulah Land.”
Next came one of the moments that too many musicians have had to endure, and Case endured with some panache. Case’s show was an early one at Mohawk Place, with a double bill to follow starting at about 11 p.m. During “Beulah Land,” at least one of the bands arrived and decided the best thing to do was wade through the crowd to place their instruments in front of and next to the stage; while several of us registered our, um, “dismay” with this lack of
Jim Whitford, Peter Case and Cathy Carfagna (who drove to Toronto with Val to see Peter at the Reverb in 1998).
class, they returned several times with more equipment. Finally, with several of the band members mulling about next to and in front of the stage and after a riveting performance of “Thank You St. Jude,” a wry smile came to Case’s face and he said, “Don’t worry, guys, I’ll be done in another song,” and then turned to the crowd and said, “just another day at the work site.” He told the audience he would end the set with a request if someone had a good one; before anyone else could say anything, Val yelled “Til the Next Time,” which Case shook his head “yes” to and played.

Rumors had been circulating that Case would join his childhood friends Jim Whitford and Mark Winsick, who were playing with Jim's Real Beat Band at the Sportsmen's Tavern, after this show . Living next door to Jim and Val having worked for his previous band the Pine Dogs, we knew this would happen and headed right over to that club. Case showed up a few minutes later in fine spirits and joined
Peter Case, Jim Whitford and Mike Brydalski
Whitford and company for almost an entire set, singing, playing harmonica and even occasional electric guitar on some Case songs and covers, from his “Rise Up and Shine” to the classic “It’s All Over Now” and some other bluesy rockers. Case and Whitford then performed “Mr. Moneyman” from Whitford’s “Poison in the Well” CD, produced by another childhood friend, Gurf Morlix. Next was a bluesy, revved up version of “Thank You St. Jude,” a really good version of Whitford’s raw roots rocker “Crash All Night” and a couple more songs on harmonica and guitar for Case before he finally had to leave to spend some time with his family. Whitford and his band then ended the set with a steaming version of his Pine Dogs’ song “Good Luck, Money and Gasoline.”