A.J. Croce, son of the legendary songwriter/guitarist Jim Croce, led off the first of two nights at the famous Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. The tour, titled Croce Plays Croce, is all about playing his father’s iconic songs. I’m normally one who wants to hear the artist’s own music, but this is an exception.
The intimate setting of the MIM seemed to be the right place to be for this experience. Both nights sold out, and I bet he could have added nights. Adrian James Croce started things off with “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.” The timeless classic set the tone for the night and had the place buzzing. “Operator” and “Box #10” soon followed and at times you could feel that maybe Jim was there, very proud of his son.
The show continued with hit after hit including “Workin at the Car Wash Blues,” “Speedball Trucker,” “Roller Derby Queen,” and “Rapid Roy.” Ending the show with “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and “I Got a Name” with a standing ovation from everyone, even the volunteers were beaming because they knew this was a magical night.
Croce spent the night sharing stories of both his mother and father, telling the crowd, “Sing along if you know the words.”
“Time in a Bottle” was last and made me ponder, most of us have never seen Jim and this is the closest we are going to get. If you can catch this very special experience, it’s worth it; I would have gone to both nights if I could have. A.J. continues with his tour, hitting the US, don’t wait because his shows will sell out.
Images: © Rick Scuteri for ABS
