Born Freedy

Freedy Johnston tells ironic anecdotes at the Lilypad on Saturday, 25 January 2025.

Mike Gent (of The Figgs) opens with a few acoustic strummers.

The new Dan Masi mural at stage right is coming along just fine, thanks.

Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

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Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️ Hump Nights 〰️

Hump Nights

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Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix

〰️

Hump Nights 〰️ Ace the Quiz, Win the Tix 〰️

Part of a Lilypad doubleheader. First, the 7:30PM set by Freedy Johnston (joined by Mike Gent of The Figgs). Second, a triplestack of indie rock at 10:30PM with Glue, Ladybeetle, and Lane. It could have been a triple- or quadruple-header. There was music scheduled since noon. When you’re as reliant as the Lilypad on rental income, you pack as many gigs into the day as possible.

Mike Gent

Mike Gent (The Figgs) warmed up the room with some folk rock on his Gibson acoustic. One of several. In fact, there was a wall of four or five Gibsons (plus one Martin) behind him. He’d pick & choose between songs, based on tunings, or sound, or, in at least one instance, based on the fact that the song was originally written on that very guitar.

Along with originals, Gent played a few covers, traded out his reading glasses for sunglasses, and acknowledged that he looked a little bit like Martin Freeman from the British version of The Office.

Freedy Johnston

The veteran alt Americana guitarist Freedy Johnston has played bigger stages to bigger crowds. But he seemed happy and at home in the comfy confines of the Lilypad, playing as unpretentious a set of folk rock as you could ever ask for.

With decades of songwriting under his belt, there’s no shortage of originals to strum. And he played a few, like the whimsical “The Lucky One” (while someone’s toy dog, bedecked in an owl-themed sweater, waddled underfoot) and “Tryin’ To Move On.”

There was a surprising number of covers for such an established artist. Mike Gent returned to the stage to add a second guitar while the pair of them muddled through some half-remembered ditties by David Bowie, Tom Petty, and more.

Johnston related an anecdote about how he was disappointed once at a Bob Dylan show when the icon refused to play any of his iconic songs. He told this story right before he and Gent dove into another cover. Which is, you know, ironic.

The room was in good spirits, swaying slowly to whatever tune came next, and gamely planning to disregard Johnston’s gentle request that none of the footage being shot in the room finds its way to social media.

 

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