photo by Geoff Wilbur

Britt Connors Band

The Haymarket Lounge at City Winery, Boston, MA

October 1, 2026

A few months ago, I caught a Britt Connors performance for the first time, opening for Danielle Miraglia at Sanctuary in Maynard, MA. That show was an acoustic performance, with Britt on acoustic guitar accompanied only by bass player Ed Lucie. As much as an acoustic performance can be fun and can help you discover an artist you’re happy to learn about, it’s never quite the same as a full band performance. A full, live, plugged-in performance often showcases an artist’s songs in a new light, closer to what he or she envisions, which is why I prefer them. Of course, I’m aware my opinion isn’t universal. But hey, it explains I was so excited to get this opportunity to hear Britt perform with a full band on Thursday night. For this particular concert in City Winery’s Haymarket Lounge, Britt was joined by Mike Connors on drums, Ed Lucie on bass, Jim Kelly on guitar, and Bethany Weiman on cello.

Britt and company opened the show with “Hummingbird,” a crowdpleaser that immediately impressed upon me how cool some of these songs would be with the addition of strings (cello). Next up, Britt performed “Innocence and All,” a song with a nifty, cool edge and a kinda spooky vibe a little when the music got low. “Cecilia” followed, thumpin’ along like a rockin’ version of a sassy old-school country song. Or maybe blues, especially with the blues feel in the guitarwork and Britt’s very bluesy wails in the vocals.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Before the next song, Britt explained how a Dolly Parton-inspired song seemed to arrive inside of her brain, how it was brought into the world. Indeed, “Waltz for Dolly” really painted a picture like an old-school Dolly-style song, but Britt has her very own bluesy vocal edge that makes this song entirely hers, even if she thinks it should be credited to Dolly. Worth noting, too, is that the stringwork is neatly prominent here. A very cool lyric, “were we living or just doing time?” also especially caught my ear.

“Anchor Me” does a great job of showing off the power of Britt’s vocals in spots. I also love the cheerful tone in the music during the verses and how the instruments kind of take it up a notch about a line into each verse and here and there elsewhere. It’s the sort of thing that shows attention to detail in the songwriting process and a sense of how different elements play into the feel of a song. Very cool, indeed!

Next up was “Distance,” and while the band’s harmonies lift other songs in the set, Britt called them out specifically in advance of this particular song, a powerful, slower-paced number with a neatly whirling feeling. I suppose I could also call it haunting, but I use that word too often in reviews, so let’s go with whirling in this instance, with perhaps a side order of haunting. And, yeah, the harmonies are key players during “Distance,” particularly in the chorus.

“Beaufort Breakdown” was next, and if I can paint a picture for you, think of an uptempo number with a Hee Haw-ready rhythm – you know, fast-paced. But that’s not really fair because the guitar, in places, and vocals are a bit bluesier. Regardless, this song is a real crowd favorite. And my wife and I actually spent about an hour in Beaufort once many years ago, enjoying its cute waterfront park, but now I feel like we were cheated by not witnessing a breakdown while there.

“Killing Frost” was one of my favorites of the evening. It’s a sweet, floating autumn song that leans into portions of the sweeter end of Britt’s voice and features some big, flowing cello swoops and a cool Ed Lucie chord progression Britt mentioned as the backbone of the song during her introduction. By this point, it had become obvious that Britt really does have great depth and variety in her vocal arsenal, and it’s quite something when she uses them in the same song.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

The first set closed with “Restless,” a song sporting a rich, full sound while advancing unevenly, kind of staccato, though technically I’m not using that word exactly right. Regardless, it features a cool effect where it slows to nearly nothing then comes back forcefully, first just vocally then in a bit of a band-all-in way. A great ending to a first set.

After a short break, the band returned with an emotionally heavy song, “Steppin’ In,” written following the Minneapolis killings. A serious number with a funky vibe. And the some of the most soulful vocal runs of the evening. The song packs a punch. “Exhale” followed, a song gets you swaying in your seat and yet another example of how having a cello onstage can adds some unique flavor to a performance.

“Just One Time” featured insistent vocals and a nifty guitar part with some noodling runs, delivered with some attitude. This song ended with a full-blown guitar showcase, an impressive performance, as the increased unleashing of some of the band’s instrumental talents during the second set lent a fresh dynamic to the back half of the evening. It was followed by “I Told You So,” which continued the attitude from its precedessor on the setlist. It also made me wonder, do Britt’s angry songs all feature her guitarist’s best solos?

“Days Like This,” next, was a throwback to a ’70s light pop singer-songwriter style, smooth and summery and nostalgic because, well, Britt wrote it about the house she grew up in. Next was a cover – I believe the only one of the evening. Britt noted her love of Deb Talan‘s “Unraveling” in the pre-song banter and, indeed, it was a great cover choice. The band’s rendition fit well into the set, showing off some of Britt’s dynamic vocal skills while thumping along stylistically in line with many of her originals.

“Cinderella Blues” is a fun, uptempo, rockin’ song, and the band’s performance included a cool bass solo, allowing Ed to show off his chops a bit. Ah, but there was a guitar solo at the end, where Jim was able to show off some of his serious skills, too.

The evening closed with “Lay My Head,” a soft song, but not a lullaby. No, it was soulful and rather gospelly. Depending on how many years you’ve been going out for entertainment, you may recall the days when Van Halen’s “Happy Trials” closed the bars, and then how it was replaced by Semisonic’s “Closing Time.” Well, this, too, is a great send-off song, stylistically. On this particular evening, it also offered the band a chance to show off, with the cello showcased during a musical run, followed by a weeping guitar solo and a plucky bass solo before Britt brought it to a close, reminding everyone of the textured vocals she’s capable of in slower songs. And with that, the Britt Connors Band brought to a close an enjoyable evening featuring an interesting mix of well-crafted, entertaining songs. It was well worth a Thursday night trip into the city to catch these talented performers! I know I’m looking forward to catching another Britt Connors Band concert one of these days.

Looking Ahead

Be sure to check the “Shows” page of Britt Connors’ website for future performances. She has 3 more “second Saturdays” afternoon performances on tap this year at Sanctuary in Maynard, MA, with the next one coming up Saturday, October 10th at 2:30 PM. She also has a “songwriters in the round” performance scheduled on November 18th at Cafe Zing in Porter Square in Cambridge, MA, in a more typical evening time slot, 7:30 PM. You can check back at the website periodically for updates and/or follow Britt on social media at Facebook or Instagram to learn about upcoming shows. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll get to hear the next big hit variety show theme song, too.