Don McCloskey’s high energy set has the Free at Noon crowd on its feet

Midway through a high-energy Free at Noon performance, singer-songwriter Don McCloskey posed a question to the World Cafe Live crowd: “If you’re not having fun here do you ever have fun?”

I find it hard to believe there was anybody in the house not having fun; McCloskey and his rousing band, who released the terrific album The Chaos and The Beauty earlier this year — and absolutely slayed their recent Key Studio Session — play dynamic, uplifting, feel-good music. “Dre” goes from a hush to a holler, anchored by tremendous gospel-inspired vocals by Hannah Taylor and Sarah Biemuller. “Son Of It All,” a snappy tune about McCloskey’s roots in Bristol, follows his careening sung/spoken vocals with a feisty rhythm by Shawn Hennessey and Chuck Staab guiding the way.

The band is rounded out by keyboardist Adam Flicker — who had a Wurlitzer spinning on the shimmering Beatles-esque “I Feel The Sunrise” — bassist / producer Devin Greenwood, and guitarist Ross Bellenoit. They gelled massively on the jaunty “First In Flight,” strolled along as “Kill The Lights” built from a ballad to a bop, and had the crowd clapping along to the set-closing “Open the Door.”

Listen to the performance below, check out The Chaos and The Beauty (and McCloskey’s back-catalog) here, and see him Friday, October 14th at Ardmore Music Hall with Chris Kasper. Tickets and more information on the show can be found at WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.