Spoiler alert. Friday’s performance of “A Prairie Home Companion” at the State Fair will be edited for broadcast this evening at 5 p.m. Of course, Garrison Keillor and company were on stage for 3 1/2 hours, which will be trimmed into a two-hour broadcast.

The musical highlights: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver with their marvelous gospel-tinged bluegrass. Stay tuned for their “Blue Train,” which closes the program. Andra Suchy, a local singer originally from North Dakota, sparkles on several duets with Keillor. They do “Unchained Melody,” which I once saw the Righteous Brothers lip sync in concert; there is never any doubt that Keillor is singing live — or trying to. 

Long Island/Nashville warbler Mindy Smith does memorable turns on her own “Come to Jesus” and a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” but her other two selections are marred by unassertive vocals and ham-fisted drumming. And don’t overlook “Woulda Coulda,” a nifty instrumental written by Prairie Home bandleader/pianist Rich Dworsky.

Comedic highlights: Of course, there are plenty of State Fair-themed bits. How bout a Spam Off, in which a judge from Prior Lake evaluates three different creative Spam recipes. But you can’t top the Moo Off, featuring two Californians and St. Louis Park’s Brian Ruhl making cow noises. I was pulling for the homeboy because he’s a big music fan (and his wife, Barbara, works in the Star Tribune’s advertising department). Keillor is quick and witty with ad libs during these contests. He also does a typically intellectually funny bit with cast member Sue Scott about flirting with an English major at the fair.

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 5th, 2009 at 11:29 am and is filed under Concerts, Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.