Acoustic Eidolon - variety is the key

We had the pleasure of seeing Acoustic Eidolon in concert over the weekend. This husband and wife team played mainly instrumental music, with Joe on the guitar and Hannah the Cello. Both are incredibly talented and they have excellent rapport between them in both music and on stage. Their performance was very entertaining and at the end I still wanted more (that doesn't happen often).

In thinking about why their show was so successful, I can first point to their variety. The ways they introduced variety were:
- Mixing musical styles - Changed musical styles with each song. For example, a blues song, was followed by a classical number, then followed by an Irish reel.
- Use of special guests - They were joined on a few songs by a harp and fiddle player. I didn't keep track, but I believe they came on and left the stage three different times (in other words added a lot but didn't overstay their welcome)
- Use of different guitars - A traditional six string, a classical guitar, and two special two-neck guitars that Joe designed himself. These last two alone kept myself and a friend (who's also a guitarist) captivated trying to figure out how he played them. Hannah only used one cello, but played so many different styles that it was always interesting. I could listen to a cello all day!

They also had a great stage presence. A few things I noticed:
- Great rapport between the two of them and always upbeat.
- Kept their song introductions short and interesting. I learned something in each intro either about them or their music.
- Both had something to say in each intro.
- Gave their guests a chance to introduce their songs. They also kept their introductions short.
- Minimal movement on stage. While I'd typically say this was not a good thing, in their case it kept the focus on the instruments and they're mastering of them. If they were dancing around it would be distracting.

In keeping my attention on the groove there were numerous times that I couldn't help but tap my foot. Joe did use the same groove on a number of songs, but I only noticed, because I was keying into it.