James Beaty: OPINION: REVIEW: Parker Millsap delivers in McAlester performance

Mar. 26—Parker Millsap brought a show filled with virtuosic musicianship and emotive vocal nuances to his show at Spaceship Earth Coffee.

Millsap previewed some songs from his upcoming album "The Wilderness Within You," along with fan favorites and deep-cut album gems during his March 19 McAlester concert, part of the Dancing Rabbit Spotlight Series.

Although he performed with a band during some previous shows, Millsap performed with only an acoustic Martin guitar and his supple voice at Spaceship Earth.

He switched from various open tunings and standard guitar tunings during the concert, bringing his unique style to the Spaceship Earth stage.

Before the concert began, Millsap sat outside in his touring vehicle parked in front of. Spaceship Earth. Then, he exited the vehicle and strode to the back of the building.

Just before Millsap stepped onstage, he removed the western-styled coat he wore and flung the guitar strap attached to his Martin guitar over his shoulder.

Following the preliminary tuning of a few strings, Millsap launched into his opening song, "The Real Thing."

Singing behind a fingerpicked chord pattern, Millsap sang "Give me something real, give me something true, give me something I can feel, give me some of you."

Millsap has spoken of how much he missed his wife while on the road and how face-time over technology just wasn't the same as that in-person contact.

"I can't stand a poor connection, can't hold you through the screen," Millsap sang. "I don't want your reflection, I just want the real thing."

Like in many of Millsap's songs, the lyrics work on several levels.

"Give it to me straight, I'll take it unadorned," Millsap sang. "I been through your roses honey, I don't mind the thorns."

I liked Millsap's spirited acoustic rendition of the song at Spaceship Earth even better than the highly-produced version on his album.

Off to a promising start, it sounded as if this could turn out to be a special concert.

Millsap's next song had a Van Morrison vibe, as he hit some jazz-inflected chords.

"I was losing, I was lost, cursing everything that I came across. I was wounded I was weak, I didn't realize I needed a drink, of your water, your water, it floods my memory and it quenches my soul," Millsap sang.

As in Morrison's song "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," Millsap's "Your Water" can be interpreted two ways: As a song of romantic love — or as a prayer.

Either way, Millsap's guitar and vocal colorings only added to the song's soulfulness.

Millsap brought a supercharged version of his song, "Fine Line" — one of his most uptempo songs of the night.

He brought things back down to earth with a story that included a reference to the natural world: "Thank you cloud; thank you deer; thank you water."

Millsap introduced another number by saying "Here's a song about getting along with people. It's not that hard."

One of his best songs of the night espoused the simple pleasure of sitting outside — the aptly-titled "Front Porch."

Millsap gave those attending the Spaceship Earth show a preview of the title track from his new album, "The Wilderness Within You."

"I have new record out May 12," he said. "You can preorder it back there," he said, relating how it could be ordered through a Q code. "Technology," Millsap shrugged.

"This is the title track from the new record," he said. "When the record comes out, you're going to be able to hear it with Gillian Welch," Millsap said, referring to the acclaimed vocalist who will be a guest artist on the track.

At the mention of Welch's name, a guy in the audience," whistled. "Very funny," Millsap quipped. "She's not here tonight."

It could turn out to be one of my favorite tracks from the album, along with "What You've Shown Me." Millsap hit an easy-going blues shuffle to kick-off that song, with an introduction reminiscent of Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry."

"I want to move to a mountain, I want to sing you a river, I want to fill your fountain; I want to set you free, I want to make you feel delivered," Millsap sang, even more soulfully than on the already soulful recorded version.

He also performed "Running On Time," another song from the new album.

As the concert neared its end, Millsap sang "Heaven Sent," a track from his album "The Very Last Days," a 2016 nomination for the Americana Music Awards Album of the Year.

Some audience members began to spontaneously sing along as Millsap performed the song.

While Millsap accompanied himself only on acoustic guitar, his guitar playing at Spaceship Earth went far beyond simple strumming.

Alternating between regular chords, barre chords and elaborate finger-picking, Millsap conjured up the effects of a one-man band, often playing the bass strings with his thumb, with shooting out elaborate finger-picked runs on the higher strings.

At times, he played the guitar chords so high on the neck, there was little fret-space left. He literally was playing the guitar nearly as high up the neck as he could go.

"Thank you, you've been wonderful," Millsap told the audience as his last song of the night ended and he stepped from the stage to a thunderous ovation.

Following the concert, I talked with Millsap as he stood on the sidewalk outside Spaceship Earth, chilling out following his stage performance.

I talked about how he dynamically fanned some chords so high up the neck of his acoustic guitar. I've only seen one other guitarist do that — and that guitarist was playing an electric Fender Stratocaster.

Millsap did it on an acoustic Martin guitar.

"You must be the Jeff Beck of the acoustic guitar," I said.

Millsap grinned and said he had to prepare for his Spaceship Earth performance without his regular band. He said he figured he'd better work up some more acoustic guitar bits.

Down the street, Caleb Kretzschman and friends stood on the sidewalk talking about how much they liked the concert.

Although Kretzschman said they lived in Ada, they'd been in Oklahoma City earlier on Sunday, and decided to swing directly down to McAlester from Oklahoma City for the Parker Millsap concert before returning home.

Those who joined Millsap outside included Jim and Deborah Sadler, who told him how much they enjoyed the performance.

Deborah told him how much she liked his music and that she had all of his albums.

"I don't want to sound like this weird person," she said.

Millsap smiled.

"We're all a little bit weird," he said.

Dancing Rabbit Music Association President Blake Lynch was among those who felt it had been a special night, based not only on Millsap's performance but also the rapt attention of the audience inside Spaceship Earth during his show.

"It was almost like a listening room," said Lynch.