Dirt Band outshines Clint Black’s show

Although he’s been performing for more than a decade, Clint Black went from nowhere to the top in a few short years. But Sunday night, Black was nearly upstaged by a group that’s spent its 25-year career on the fringes of success.

In the concert at the Augusta Civic Center, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band received as much if not more applause than the charismatic superstar, although it didn’t get as many female shrieks and whistles. Fans of both groups got what they came for.

In effect, the 4,500 in attendance were treated to two full concerts for the price of one, plus a tantalizing listen to the music of up-and-coming singer-songwriter Matraca Berg.

The 26-year-old Berg led off the evening with a spirited seven-song set. Berg, garbed in a blue denim shirt and shorts, and boots, performed her hits “Things You Left Undone” and “I Got It Bad” and also gave sneak previews of songs on her upcoming album, including the honky-tonk “Eat at Joe’s” and the R&B-tinged “Wrong Side of Memphis.”

Next up was the Dirt Band, making their first-ever stop in Maine. A quarter-century together has helped the band develop a togetherness and a dynamic stage presence that comes with time and a lot of touring. The four-member group just has a lot of fun performing.

Versatility is another of the band’s trademarks. All four trade off on lead vocals. Jimmy Ibbotson plays five-string bass, mandolin and keyboard; Jeff Hanna supplies guitar and six-string bass; Bob Carpenter is on keyboards and accordion; and Jimmie Fadden plays drums and harmonica, often at the same time.

During the first portion of their set, the group concentrated on polished musicianship while performing such hits as “Long Hard Road,” “Dance Little Jean,” “Workin’ Man (Nowhere to Go)” and “Mr. Bojangles.”

The group got its first standing ovation of the night for an instrumental, piano-harmonica duet by Carpenter and Fadden.

Hanna and Ibbotson slipped off stage during that number to change outfits, and they came back ready for some fun. The Dirt Band ripped through “Fishing in the Dark” and “Baby’s Got a Hold on Me,” then got a party atmosphere rolling with “Coconut Grove,” during which Ibbotson, dressed only in a pair of blue overalls, used a mike stand to play limbo.

The Dirt Band closed out its regular set with a rollicking version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Cadillac Ranch.” Frontmen Ibbotson and Hanna set out to explode rock ‘n’ roll cliches, with Ibbotson spinning across the stage while playing, then the pair soloing back to back, and then closing the number with leaps off the risers.

They left to a standing ovation, before coming back on for an encore of their version of the old gospel hymn, “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” with Berg contributing harmony vocals. The result was a third standing “O.”

Though Black lacked Nitty Gritty’s active, playful presentation, his diehard fans nevertheless cheered him on with hollers, screams and stomping feet.

Black displayed his good ol’ boy charm and winning smile and dimples, and certainly knew how to milk particular remarks and lyrics for female appreciation. His sly sense of humor was also present, although some of the rambling monologues went along aimlessly.

Black performed radio-perfect versions of such hits as “Walkin’ Away,” “One More Payment,” “Nothing’s Been News to Me,” “Lovin’ Blind,” “A Better Man,” “Put Yourself in My Shoes” and the regular-set finale, “Killin’ Time.” He also did a lengthy encore, capped by the earthy “Steamroller Blues.”

Now Black is well enough established that he was able to mix in a healthy dose of lesser-known material from his two albums, and even performed an unreleased ballad, “A Change in the Air.”

Black’s talented six-member band added sparkling solos throughout the 80-minute set, especially steel player Jeff Peterson, fiddler Jeff Huskins and guitarist Hayden Nicholas.

Following an act like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band can only help Black and his band, as they can learn from the fun-loving veterans.