As an avid John Denver fan, I have seen quite a few tribute programs performed over the past two decades. Some were full-fledged productions, complete with scripts and casts and choreography. Others consisted simply of musicians with guitars on stages, performing a variety of John's best and most-known songs. Jim Curry and his band fall into this second category. And they do a nice job of representing John's music.

The group began with "Starwood in Aspen," which segued into "Rocky Mountain High." They gave us 20 songs in all, and many of us in the audience sang along with them, all night. Selections included "Back Home Again," "Leavin' on a Jet Plane," "Goodbye Again," "Annie's Song," "I'm Sorry" and "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Jim was able to give us background information from composer Randy Sparks about his controversial song, "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio," which John included on his An Evening with John Denver album. "Wild Montana Skies" was especially well done, and it turned into an instant crowd pleaser.

It was great to hear "On the Road," a song written by Carl Franzen and found on John's Back Home Again album. And it was a special treat to hear "Yellowstone, Coming Home," a song about the reintroduction of wolves into the national park, which is said to be the last song that John Denver wrote and performed. This evening ended with a two-song encore. "Long Lost Friends" was an original song penned by Jim and Anne Curry. The wistful and appropriate "Poems, Prayers, & Promises" concluded the show.

Leader Jim Curry played acoustic guitar and sang the melodies. He was accompanied by his wife Anne on mandolin, guitar and vocals, Tom Williams on bass and vocals, David Flint on lead guitar, and Larry Ruckman on drums and percussion. Anne's mandolin added a perfect higher pitch for those songs where the originals featured instrumentals by fiddle or by banjo. Right off the bat, though, we could tell that Jim had a tuning problem with his guitar. He tampered with it as best as he could, sometimes mid-song. Early on, he was so distracted by the tuning process that he simultaneously forgot which verse he was singing. Fortunately, the audience bailed him out and sang it for him. Darn those silly tuning pegs, anyway. Jim didn't let the technical issue stop the show.

What makes his performance different from that of other tribute artists is that his band stands in front of a large video screen. For every song, we were visually whisked away to another location. We saw parts of the American West, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, and West Virginia. We rode with Jacques Cousteau and his crew during "Calypso." During "Sunshine on My Shoulders," we were able to tour the John Denver sanctuary in Aspen, Colorado. We could see the many monuments with John's lyrics and other inspirational quotes printed onto them. This was a real treat for those of us who have not yet been able to visit the park in person.

Jim Curry is the third major John Denver tribute artist I have seen perform. Of the three, I rank him in the middle, at No. 2. I would be satisfied with seeing him again. I don't usually pass up many opportunities to celebrate the life and music of one of my mentors. Conversely, I've seen No. 3 twice, and I will do my best not to run into him again.

I do have to wonder, though. I was shocked to see that this performance was not sold out. This is a popular venue. The Colonial is one of those old-timey, highly decorated, small-city theaters that date to the beginning of the last century. I have attended many concerts here that were crammed full of people. The place officially seats 900. But on this night, no tickets had been sold for the balcony. And on the main floor, seats at the rear edges were empty, too. So, maybe the audience totaled 550 to 600 people, at most. This was still a good number to sing to, of course, and it was still intimate enough to hear everyone who was singing along. But I was puzzled by the empty seats.

Was it an indication of John Denver's fame waning from the view of the general culture? I sure hope not. Was it because Jim Curry's own fans didn't quite make it up to New Hampshire? Was it strictly because of current economics? Or due to a lack of sufficient publicity? Nevertheless. Everyone who WAS in attendance, both on stage and off, had a fun and satisfying evening. Everyone did their best to honor John Denver.