Marco Benevento ended a short but sweet four-night tour in the Northeast on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. The Berklee alum has a great solo catalog that is ripe with audience participation. This time, it was just him and a baby grand, and he did not disappoint. His performance also included plenty of fun banter, along with noteworthy sit-ins by local musicians and a frequent cohort.
The show began as Marco emerged from the basement green room and addressed the crowd while walking to the stage. His first tune was an original instrumental that found its way into “The Real Morning Party” from his 2008 release Invisible Baby. This song was well known among the crowd, as many participated in what became the first sing-along of the evening.
Afterwards, Marco told a story about a recent interaction he had with “Weird Al” Yankovic, whom he worked with on a video project. At one point, he mentioned noticing a Bluetooth connection labeled “Alfred,” and eventually realized it belonged to the famous musician. He then played “Terrapin” by Clairo, which was the tune he collaborated on with Weird Al. As the song wound down, a young patron found his way onto the stage. Marco engaged with this child in a very adorable way for a few moments before locating the parents.
He continued playing songs from his catalog, including “Let It Slide.” At one point, he mentioned taking requests from the audience. While he played “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck based on a request, he quickly pivoted on this strategy after realizing the complexities. “Send It On a Rocket” and “Record Book,” also from Invisible Baby, followed.
Marco then deemed it was time for guests and brought his talented wife, Katie, on stage to sing “Dirty Gin.” She really crushed the vocals. Afterwards, he told a story about how he lives in the area and, during a previous performance at Levon Helm Studios, accidentally shared his address. Needless to say, three cars of fans showed up at his residence. His wife was unaware of this development, as she was not at that show, but she quickly stepped in to entertain the unexpected guests
Local guitarist Richard Swift joined Marco for a Tom Petty cover next. This was followed by guitarist Chris Max sitting in for a tune.
Marco continued to swap guests in and out for the rest of the set. His JRAD bandmate Dave Dreiwitz emerged and played upright bass for the easy-listening hit “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts. Katie Benevento returned, along with Richard Swift, for an upbeat cover of Father John Misty’s well-known indie tune, “I’m Writing a Novel.”
Dreiwitz came back to the stage to join in on “Queen Bitch” by David Bowie. He remained to close out the show with the quintessential Marco tune, “At the Show.”
Marco Benevento’s solo performance was highly engaging and very entertaining. It was a treat to experience his music in such an intimate and iconic setting as the Levon Helm Studios. We can’t wait for our next musical journey with this very skilled musician and performer. Most notably, he is putting on the Follow the Arrow festival on June 28, 2025, in Palenville, NY. Check out the link for more details.
