Article & Photos by: Linda Carlson

Cincinnati, OH – My first Squirrel Nut Zippers concert was in 2019, and it left an indelible mark on me.  Ever since, I have been looking forward to another opportunity to revel in the SNZipper experience.  And then, it finally happened!  The Holiday Caravan Tour 2021.

A SNZipper show is just the medicine needed to offset the chaos in the world.  A glorious and delightful escape.  It doesn’t get better than this!

From start to finish, this band of lively troubadours put on an enormously festive show, with lots of bright and flashy red costuming and staging elements.  Jimbo Mathus, the band’s founding member, moved deftly from front man to side stage, allowing other band members to step forward to center stage for a stint as lead singer.  Dr. Sick, always a bundle of mischievous unpredictability and nimble dexterity, played the fiddle with devilish flair.

Cella Blue, the vivacious lead singer extraordinaire, was unable to support the final stops of the tour due to ankle injuries, and Llana Schaefer filled the vacated spot.  Big shoes to fill, but she did an admirable job, branding herself more as a screen siren than a rambunctious flash of zesty lightning.

The Ludlow Garage offers comfortable seating, and a low ceiling for added intimacy.  The stage, nestled in a corner, features front- and side-view auditorium-style seating.  The venue was quite full for this performance… the continuing pandemic concerns did not discourage fans from coming to escape the world’s complications.  While many fans wore masks, just as many showed their smiles.  Although the show started with everyone in their seats, by the end of the evening, people were dancing in the aisles and in front of the stage.  You just cannot stay seated during a SNZippers show.

The band played a gigantic set, complete with a three-song encore:

Main set
Hot Christmas
Winter Weather
Happy Days Are Here Again
La Grippe
Got My Own Thing Now
Animule Ball
My Evergreen
Gift of the Magi
A Johnny Ace Christmas
Suits Are Picking Up the Bill
Memphis Exorcism
It Ain’t You
She’s Ballin’
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Axman Jazz (Don’t Scare Me Papa)
Wash Jones
Alone at Christmas
Mardi Gras for Christmas
Put a Lid on It
Hell
Ghost of Stephen Foster

Encore:
Hanging Up My Stockings
Carolina Christmas
I’m Coming Home for Christmas

Although the Holiday Caravan Tour has ended, you can keep up with the SNZippers on their website (www.snzippers.com), Facebook (@SNZippers) and Instagram (@SNZippers).