Playing Favorites in Bloomington, MN

Arriving on the heels of the veteran jangle folk-pop outfit's 35th anniversary, the aptly named
Playing Favorites
finds
10,000 Maniacs
delivering a (mostly) career-spanning show before an adoring crowd at the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in their native Jamestown, New York. Only the group's second live album in three decades, the 14-track set is also their first full-on electric concert LP -- 1993's
MTV Unplugged
was just that, all acoustic.
also marks the return of co-founder
John Lombardo
, who joins a seasoned crew that includes
Jerome Augustyniak
,
Dennis Drew
Jeff Erickson
Steven Gustafson
, and
Mary Ramsey
, the latter of whom assumed vocal duties in 1995 after
Natalie Merchant
left the fold to pursue a solo career. Delivered with warmth and vigor, and comprised chiefly of fan favorites/hits like "My Mother the War," "Like the Weather," "These Are the Days," and "Because the Night" -- for whatever reason, the band chose not to include any material from their well-received 2013 comeback album
Music from the Motion Picture
--
is a largely fan-centric affair, but its charms work outside of the circle as well. ~ James Christopher Monger