Starting the show with stand-up bassist Curt Bley and percussionist Mayra Casales at her side, she had the audience laughing from the start with the new “Pabst Blue Ribbon” and the chestnut “Chicago Any Day.” Then she ventured into her album, Hayseed (on Sleeve Dog Records), which focused on her rural upbringing in humorous ways. “City Kids,” “Plant the Stars,” “Egg Money” and “Herbicides” (which she blamed for making her lesbian) were featured in this segment. She closed out the first part of the show with the new “What Did You do to Your Face” and her mildly mocking rip on the conservative right with “Our Father (The New Revised Edition),” in which she pleaded to God to “deliver us from those who think they are You.”
The second half of the show was loaded with surprises, starting with two songs from her recent musical adaptation of Bull Durham. “Every Woman Should Wear White” and “The Damnedest Season” were received enthusiastically. However, Werner managed to top herself with an engaging reading of “My Different Son,” a snappy version of “Kicking the Bee Hive” and selections from an unrecorded work in progress that she called An American in Havana, inspired by her recent Cuban vacation. This section of the concert included “Havana Moon,” “Stray Dogs” and “Comadito,” and was accented strongly by Casales’ percussion work.
For an encore, she sang “Help Somebody,” which featured a surprise performance from tap dancer Lane Alexander.
Werner’s upcoming release, Eights Unnecessary Songs (and One Odd Little Hymn), will be released in October on Sleeve Dog Records. The show was presented as part of The American Music Series. For further information regarding future events, go to AuditoriumTheatre.org.