Judging by appearances, most people metformin hydrochloride 500 mg who went to the old-time American music concert at The Nifty Theatre on July 15 had a great time.

The theatre was packed, there were three standing ovations, and afterwards the faces of the members of the audience seemed to glow, and everyone I overheard was talking about how good the music was.

Speaking for myself, upon leaving I felt like singing and dancing, and I don’t think I’d felt like that about a music concert in a long time.
In an age of digital technology, we can forget how special live musical performances can be.

The bluegrass, Cajun and other old-time American music played and sung by The Shadies, The Foghorn Trio, and Caleb Klauder and Rebecca Willms reminded the audience of that.

The music was lively and invigorating — the performers seemed to emanate positive energy that went almost visibly into the crowd.
It was fun to hear how a musical triangle used in a Cajun song came from an antique hay rake somewhere on the Waterville plateau — and how it was fetched on a ski and snowshoe trip.

It was also great to hear Foghorn Trio member Nadine Landry sing in Cajun French.

In all of the songs, the clear voices of the performers brought out the regional character of various parts of our nation.

Watching instruments such as the washtub bass, the lap steel and “bones,” along with more common instruments such as the fiddle, banjo and bass, played live added so much to the musical experience. These artists were having fun.

Music is an essential part of the soul of a people, and it was encouraging to see that there can be so much soul around and so many memories of the past and musical styles that are not forgotten.

My impression was that many members of the audience came to Waterville from other parts of the state in order to hear the music. Events like this contribute so much to goals that the Chamber of Commerce has for drawing folks here.

For those of us who live in Waterville, it was wonderful to have such a concert right at our doorsteps.

The Nifty, owned by Jim Dixon, provided a great old-fashioned backdrop to this old time American music. We’re lucky to have this historic theater in town.