Actor Jeff Daniels proves he has many more strings to his bow as he brings his one-man show to Chicago’s City Winery.
While most people know Jeff Daniels from movies like Dumb and Dumber and the hit show The Newsroom, many don’t realize that his talents don’t stop there. You may have seen clips from his recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show where he reduced her to tears as she was shocked to see that this wasn’t another actor with a vanity project. Her reaction couldn’t have been more accurate.
There are certainly a number of actors who have tried their hand at performing music, you know the ones we mean – those who certainly should give up their day jobs. This is definitely not the case when it comes to Jeff Daniels. Since his early beginnings in acting, he’s always had his guitar close to hand. His songwriting skills stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best who call this their day job.
From the very first song, Jeff Daniels made it clear how the evening was going to pan out – with humorous lyrics and intricate guitar work. This tour sees Daniels perform a solo, one-man show, armed only with his trusty guitar, quick wit, and stories of his time in Hollywood. While the lyrics for most of the songs did have Daniels’ own brand of humor laced through them, don’t let your guard down too much. He can go from having you laughing one minute, and then crying the next with his heartfelt and honest words.
Throughout the evening, Daniels would lace the songs together with anecdotes such as the first time he met Clint Eastwood. He has a very honest and introspective view of fame. This led to him talking about his days starting out in the theater and his highs and lows of being a famous actor, which led perfectly into his song “Are You As Excited About Me As I Am?” However, music has always been a huge part of his life. Hearing him perform songs like “When My Fingers Find Your Strings,” an ode to his guitar (and the aforementioned song that brought Kelly Clarkson to tears), his skills on the six-string shine through. While this song had the audience sitting listening, fully engrossed, songs like “Jesus Was A Stoner” and “Fifty Shades” certainly invoked the belly laughs.
Jeff’s witty lyrics and honest reflections may have got the laughs rolling, but one thing that was certainly serious was his talent beyond that which we see on the screen. While seeing a name such as his on a venue’s schedule is always going to have some pull, the true reason these shows sell out as soon as they get announced is the abundance of musical talent on display. This definitely isn’t a vanity project.
These shows don’t come around every day, and he tends to only do a handful of dates at a time, so if you see this one come around, you need to jump on it as they will sell out.
JEFF DANIELSWebsite
