Leo Kottke performed Friday and Saturday evenings at SPACE in Evanston. I attended the Saturday show - my first time seeing Kottke in concert in almost thirty years.

Impressively, the 79-year-old retains the rich baritone voice of his youth, which he showed off on lyrical songs like "Pamela Brown," "Rings," and "Julie's House." But it is his guitar playing that makes Kottke special. Alone on the stage, he brought with him only two guitars - a 12-string and a 6-string; by quickly tuning them, he coaxed a variety of sounds from each instrument. His flying fingers often made it sound like multiple musicians were playing simultaneously.

Between songs, he told stories of life on the road and the people he had known. He joked that his hands had a mind of their own. While he sometimes made fun of those hands, they often made fun of him. While talking to the audience, his fingers continued to pluck and strum the strings, adding a soundtrack to his stories, which he told with a quiet gentleness, as if he were alone in conversation with each of us.

After 90 minutes, without moving from his chair, he announced that the next song was the encore before closing the show with "Cripple Creek." The audience rose and applauded as Leo left the stage.

I have never understood why an enormous talent like Leo Kottke never achieved the fame he deserves. But I am glad we still get to experience him in intimate venues like SPACE.