web1_TTL122916columbus-wreck1.jpg

Columbus statue won’t return to Pittston until the spring

web1_PA-Lottery-logo.jpg

Lottery Numbers for Friday, Dec. 9

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; From the moment the curtain went up Friday night, the audience at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts was transported to a more simple time &#8211; when Lawrence Welk holiday specials and Bing Crosby movies defined Christmas entertainment.</p><p>Kacey Musgraves kept attendees enthralled with her renditions of classic Christmas songs, new holiday tunes and a few of her country hits.</p><p>In front of a red satin curtain and a winter wonderland of decorative snow and white-lit Christmas trees, the coquettish country star and her black-clad seven-piece band were a throwback to yuletide Americana showcases of earlier decades.</p><p>Justin and Cassie Lee of Bloomsburg said they discovered Musgraves at the Farm Aid music festival and liked her simple and thoughtful songwriting.</p><p>&#8220;We just listened to the Christmas album for the first time on the way in,&#8221; Justin Lee said. &#8220;It&#8217;s excellent.&#8221;</p><p>The band struck up with an instrumental rendition of &#8220;It&#8217;s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,&#8221; before Musgraves focused her strong and steady voice on traditional sounding versions of &#8220;Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,&#8221; &#8220;Christmas Don&#8217;t Be Late&#8221; and &#8220;Mele Kalikimaka&#8221; that carried just enough Grand Ole Opry twang to remind the crowd they were listening to a country band.</p><p>Musgraves seemed to channel June Carter, charming the crowd with storytelling and humor between tunes, and keeping a dialogue with her band throughout the performance.</p><p>The audience showed up in the Christmas spirit, wearing a healthy dash of red with the occasional Santa Claus hat and set of reindeer antlers, and people cheered heartily for the traditional Christmas openers. But it was one of Musgraves&#8217; originals that solicited the first roar.</p><p>Her performance of &#8220;Family is Family&#8221; reminded the crowd of how simultaneously absurd and significant family ties can be, providing a poignant, and holiday appropriate, segue into her original music with a hint of comic relief.</p><p>The band followed up with another Musgraves&#8217; original, &#8220;Everybody&#8217;s Cup of Tea,&#8221; before turning to her interpretation of &#8220;A Spoonful of Sugar.&#8221; Donning her sparkling powder-blue dress and singing the classic song from &#8220;Mary Poppins,&#8221; which she recorded for a Disney compilation album earlier in the year, Musgraves was as much one of America&#8217;s sweethearts as Julie Andrews before her.</p><p>&#8220;Feliz Navidad&#8221; featured a masterful display of accordion playing by renowned multi-instrumentalist Rory Hoffman, who also took duties on piano and guitar throughout the evening.</p><p>Picking up her ukulele, Musgraves performed &#8220;Willie Nice Christmas,&#8221; which features Willie Nelson on the studio version and alludes to the Red Headed Stranger&#8217;s preferred method of medicinal relaxation.</p><p>&#8220;Christmas Always Makes Me Cry&#8221; showed Musgraves melancholy side before &#8220;Rockin&#8217; Around the Christmas Tree&#8221; brought the whole crowd to its feet, clapping in time with the band.</p><p>The merry celebration was still in full swing at press time.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kacey-musgraves-4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Back up singers perform with Kacey Musgraves Friday night at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. Musgraves ensemble brought a wealth of instrumental and vocal talent to the stage. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kacey-musgraves-4-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Back up singers perform with Kacey Musgraves Friday night at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre. Musgraves ensemble brought a wealth of instrumental and vocal talent to the stage. </caption0><photoCredit0>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kacey Musgraves and her seven-piece band performed in front of a red satin curtain, decorative snow and white-lit Christmas trees reminiscent of traditional holiday specials. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-3-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kacey Musgraves and her seven-piece band performed in front of a red satin curtain, decorative snow and white-lit Christmas trees reminiscent of traditional holiday specials. </caption1><photoCredit1>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kacey Musgraves channeled June Carter at the Kirby Center Friday night with her charm, humor, storytelling and strong, steady vocals. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-1-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kacey Musgraves channeled June Carter at the Kirby Center Friday night with her charm, humor, storytelling and strong, steady vocals. </caption2><photoCredit2>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kacey Musgraves performs her Christmas set Friday night at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre. The set included classic Christmas songs, holiday originals and a few of Musgrave&#8217;s celebrated hits. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_ttl121016kaceymusgraves-2-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Kacey Musgraves performs her Christmas set Friday night at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre. The set included classic Christmas songs, holiday originals and a few of Musgrave&#8217;s celebrated hits. </caption3><photoCredit3>Amanda Hrycyna | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Country star brings Christmas classics, original hits</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>mmattei@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Kacey Musgraves takes Wilkes-Barre’s Kirby Center back to Christmas past