Susan Werner to play intimate show at The Metropolitan

Oct. 14—Singer-songwriter Susan Werner promises her show at The Metropolitan will be the best thing people see all weekend.

"I'm telling you, we're giving the best show in St. Joseph that night. We're even better than anything on cable that night," she said.

After doing more than 60 livestreamed shows, the internationally recognized artist, whose music mixes the smooth singing of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Natalie Merchant with the folksy earnestness of Nanci Griffith and John Prine, is ready to bring her fun show to a live audience again.

She'll be performing with multi-talented musician Trina Hamlin for a special dinner show at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16, at The Metropolitan, 107 S. Sixth St. The concert is presented by the St. Joseph Performing Arts Association.

Born and raised in Iowa, Werner eventually headed out for bigger stages in areas like Philadelphia, Chicago and New York. She's had songs covered by Tom Jones, collaborated with artists like Vince Gill and Keb' Mo and spanned genres from country to zydeco. All that considered, she said there's something about her Midwest roots that makes her excited to return to the middle of the map.

"I think there's something about if you grew up in a small town in the Midwest when you meet people, you treat them as if you may know their cousin or somehow that word about how you treat them may get back to your parents," she said laughing.

The word Werner would like to get back to people in the area is that her concerts are fun, full of laughs and heart and a display of tight musicianship between Hamlin and her.

"She can play harmonica and play guitar at the same time, play piano and harmonica at the same time, play drums and harmonica at the same time. There's just no one like her," she said.

During quarantine, Werner took to livestreaming to entertain people around the globe, performing a weekly show with a different theme every time. While she found it creatively fulfilling, as she was promoting her latest album, the country and folk-inspired "Flyover Country," she couldn't wait to get back out to doing it in front of people in the same room.

"To be back in rooms with real human beings (where) you can hear reactions, you can hear them listening, you can hear a joke land like that one second right after you deliver it ... It's why it's why I do this," she said.

Performing a light-hearted show full of humor and laughs, Werner said she wants to make up for lost time and the communal feeling people didn't have in 2020.

"In this moment, I'm less of a poet and more of an entertainer, because this is a moment for kind of cheering up the troops. You know, right? This is the Bob Hope goodwill tour. This is not plumb the depths of the human experience. The depths have been pretty deep here and dark. So a little good time goes a long way," she said.

In addition to the show, Werner will be providing a free songwriting workshop at 2 p.m. before the concert. It is available to the first 10 people to enroll.

Tickets are $45 for dinner and the show and $35 for the show only. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts office at 713 Edmond St., by calling 816-279-1225 or ordering online at www.performingarts-saintjoseph.org.

Andrew Gaug can be reached at andrew.gaug@newspressnow.com.

Follow him on Twitter: @NPNOWGaug