Folk-rock goddess

It's hard to leave a Dar Williams concert without a rose-colored outlook on life, and Monday's concert was no exception. Her brand of genuine folk-rock appeals to all sexes and several generations left the packed house smiling and dancing. Opening performances by Jenny DeVoe and the Ben Taylor Band were the tiny roses on the seven-layer cake Williams created with her act.\nBen Taylor, son of folk music deity James Taylor, was a physical and auditory replica of his father. It was difficult to figure out what Ben was trying to do with his music. There were songs with a gospel-soul-rock edge, a folk-rock feel or those that incorporated a jazzy-free-style-rock. He has the potential to become a great artist, but his music now is so jumbled that it seems immature. A chiseled face and a unique-sounding voice were still good entertainment, even if he did pull out some crazy raver dance moves during the guitar solos. \nBy the end of Taylor's set the crowd was anxious for Williams. One of the great things about Williams is that she is such a real person. She didn't need flashy sets or elaborate costumes to make her set amazing. She and her band just happen to be extremely talented.\nWilliams played mostly tracks from her new album Beauty of the Rain, which are a little slower than most of her classics but reproduced just as well. Williams' performance of "The World's Not Falling Apart" became an instant favorite. It was uptempo but not too fast and made Williams work to keep hitting the high notes, which she seemed to do with ease. Her duet with Ben Taylor was beautiful as their voices mixed into a refined melody, but unfortunately, Taylor looked like he was trying hard not to break into his normal hip-hop stage personality.\nAlthough my first Williams experience was a solo acoustic show, the band at this show was a welcome addition. Each musician was exceptionally talented and the electric guitar work, keyboards and percussion gave the music layers and made for an enjoyable and different experience.\nAny Williams experience is a good experience, especially if she plays some of the greatest songs in her repitoire and tells crazy stories about her life. The audience was treated to some hilarious anecdotes between the songs. Not only did she sing "Are You Out There?" and "Spring Street," she peeled the audience from the chairs with a crazy two-song encore of "Iowa" and "As Cool As I Am." \nEven though the night might have been just another day in the life for Williams, she gave a performance that was just as good as any flashy rock band.