Emotions run high at Bob Feldman tribute

Sunday in the Twin Cities was a night for cult-loved music attractions -- the long-lived Rush at Xcel Energy Center, the wacky Flaming Lips at the Myth and the reunited Crowded House at the Orpheum Theatre. But none of those could have matched the love at the sold-out Fitzgerald Theater for the Tribute to Bob Feldman.

An international force in acoustic music, Feldman was the guiding light of St. Paul's Red House Records for 23 years before he died unexpectedly in January 2006 at age 56. His label has won Grammys and other awards and continues to thrive with both the same and new artists.

A night filled with emotion

More than a dozen of Red House's acts gathered Sunday in a theater filled with too much emotion. The three-hour evening felt like part memorial, part celebration and part tribute. Sometimes neither the performers nor the audience knew how to deal with their emotions under these circumstances.

The evening began with a slide show featuring the cover of every album released by Red House -- nearly 200 titles.

As Peter Ostroushko played his mandolin to accompany the covers of Koerner, Ray & Glover, Greg Brown, Suzzy Roche, Guy Davis and many others, several concertgoers could be heard trying to stifle sniffles. It was that kind of evening.

Eric Peltoniemi, Red House's first employee and now its president, seemed to be fighting back tears as he played a guitar solo during "How Many Times."

Brown, the label's founder and signature artist, did "A Song for Bob," about two little boys playing together as kids and again as adults.

Nothing was more poignant than when Ostroushko introduced "The B & B Waltz," saying he'd intended to play it at Bob's wedding to Beth Friend but never got around to performing it for them. The rendition of the Eastern European-flavored instrumental was sad and beautiful at the same time.

His love for Dylan

Twin Cities guitarist Dean Magraw picked up on the confusing emotions of the evening. He played a chillingly gorgeous version of "Amazing Grace" on acoustic guitar with an E-Bow. It was one of the night's defining moments. And then he cut loose with an innovatively percussive reading of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."Are we having fun yet?" he asked afterward.

Several artists acknowledged Feldman's love for Dylan; in fact, he produced an all-star tribute CD for Dylan's 60th birthday, "A Nod to Bob." Eliza Gilkyson showed a Dylanesque voice on "Love Minus Zero," and John Koerner and Tony Glover did an old folk song, "Lost and Lonesome," that Dylan recorded.

The second half was filled with varied musical rewards and inspiring collaborations between various singers and musicians. Highlights included Ostroushko's two mandolin pieces; Prudence Johnson on the strikingly elegant "River"; Dave Moore's light-hearted "Just a Dog" (featuring MVP Ostroushko on fiddle); Cliff Eberhardt, who sounded like Tom Waits without the cigarette throat, on the soulful "Missing You"; and the finale, an ensemble rendition of the 1960s hit "Sweet Soul Music," a fitting nod to Bob Feldman, an R&B lover whose generous soul was celebrated by his many musical friends.

Jon Bream • 612-673-1719 For a set list, go to www.startribune.com/poplife.

Jon Bream • popmusic@startribune.com