(LEFT) Maggie Baugh rosined up her bow and played that fiddle hard. (RIGHT) The Reporter’s own Shana Sloma stands right next to fame.
By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Maggie Baugh, a multi-genre entertainer who sings and plays several instruments, performed for one night only, Friday, Oct. 17, at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael, 1 Carmichael Square, Carmel.
It was a sold-out show.
Baugh told the crowd that the last time she performed in Indiana she only sold seven tickets. [Editor’s note: Perhaps she should have spoken to The Reporter before that one, as she did this time.]
There are musicians, and then there are entertainers. Baugh’s show fit Feinstein’s perfectly, because she is an entertainer.
She danced around the venue.
She played a mix of original music and well-known country and rock classics.
She spoke to people at their tables, one of whom turned out to be from her hometown in Florida and was the father of a guy she (maybe) dated in school.
She got the audience involved in singing along with classic rock songs.
Well, most of the time that part worked. This newspaper is deeply disappointed in how few knew the words to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The audience did, however, redeem itself during Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer.”
And then there was that Charlie Daniels song.
During what may have been the most up-tempo version of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” this writer has ever heard, Baugh literally shredded a bow, playing like she was being chased by the Devil himself. One might say she was “sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot.”
You can tell when a performer is enjoying a show as much as the audience. In this instance, the signs included table upgrades, dancing around the aisles while playing her fiddle, sitting in a booth with people who were singing along well, and letting the show go on far longer than it was scheduled for.
Alas, though we had been told there would be dad jokes, there were none to groan at.
Maggie, come on back if you ever wanna try again. We done told you once, you son of a gun, Carmel’s the best it’s ever been.
