Chuck Prophet Treated St. Louis Right at his Thursday Night Concert

It’s always such a treat when Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express come through St. Louis to perform. Prophet shared, “Off Broadway is one of our favorite places to play.” And a little tongue in cheek, “the area’s come a long way in the past 20 years.” While noting he saw at least two record stores on their walk earlier that day.

Even though they’re nearly through their 6-week, 21 city tour, you’d never know it from the 2-hours of abundant energy emanating from the small, up-close stage on this Thursday night. Prophet’s wide gestures, broad smiles, and chatty, story-telling nature enveloped the packed room.

Prophet dedicated “High as Johnny Thunders” to St. Louis’ Chuck Berry, joked about no one wishing him enough luck soon enough during “Wish Me Luck,” intro’d “Nixonland” from the 2020 release The Land That Time Forgot by saying one of the worst things a musician can tell an audience is that they’re going to play a new song. He also wove stories in throughout the night giving little nuggets to how some songs formed. We’ll never actually know if the stories are true or not but he makes you want to believe. An extended jam on “Summertime Thing” led to much applause and hoots from the fans.

The Mission Express, made up of Stephanie Finch (singing, Vox organ, piano, guitar), Kevin White (bass guitar), Vicente Rodriguez (drums, vocals), and James DePrato (guitar, lap steel) were all given moments to shine. It was easy to see the delight on every member’s face throughout the night at the opportunity to be out playing live to a crowd again.

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

The Mission Express

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

The Mission Express

Chuck Prophet and The Mission Express

The tight, perfect amount of loud sound along with the presentation of songs and Prophet’s distinct vocals made for a night to be treasured until the next time they grace St. Louis.

His first time playing St. Louis, San Franciscan Matt Jaffe opened the night with his blend of rock and stories. Performing since his teens, Jaffe was quite comfortable solo on stage but did say it was nice to have an attentive audience to play for. He shared a fun, quirky story about how “Wicked World” came to be, dedicating it to Carrie Fisher. He told how one woman felt comfortable enough to critique “Voodoo Doll” and he dedicated “Hellhounds of Alcatraz” to Martha Stewart replete with another story. On several of his songs, Jaffe’s vocals were reminiscent of David Bowie.