PJ Ferguson comes home a star!

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

P.J. Ferguson played the concert of the century Friday night, Sept. 5. at the Strand Theatre in Hudson Falls.

Strand founder and genius Jonathan Newell can throw in the towel now.

It won’t get better than what we experienced when Whitehall native turned Nashville frontman P.J. Ferguson brought his Tennessee Strange Band for a Washington County-stretching homecoming everyone will remember.

P.J. had the crowd at “hello.”

The sold-out crush of about 400 friends, family, admirers, acolytes (and likely some new listeners) roared the moment he strode on stage, struck attitude, hands on hips, and smiled out at ’em.

Not yet 30, P.J. has the rock star thing down. He owns the stage and the room on the high notes, the low growls, the shouts and the ballads.

He danced almost non-stop, high kicking to mark the beat or pausing finally, near the end, to sit cross legged in the middle of the stage and share the original love song “Evergreen.”

One number, he and his two female backup singers (in heels) ran — full-out, ran! — around the stage, up and through the audience, including the balcony, then back down onto the stage for an uncountable, exhausting number of laps.

I like to joke The Chronicle is a marathon run at sprint speed, especially on press day. P.J. lived it, for two hours-plus and two encores — and the crowd wanted more. He wasn’t ready to be done yet either, consulted earnestly with his band, and pulled out one last cover, Journey’s “With or Without You.”

The mini tour here to Hudson Falls was to launch “Don’t You Know it’s All a Show,” his new album of original songs.

Sound wasn’t perfect to catch all of the lyrics, but his words are of a thinking man. He knows how much his formidable voice can do, and he writes for the range.

Trippy on “Love me or Leave Me,” an upbeat “I’ll Be Me,” “Mutt,” a sweet reminder of a dog that passed. “Hum Along” for his beloved late grandparents. He rocked into the anthemic “Goodbye North Country,” but not without reminding himself, aloud, he’s also glad again to say hello.

P.J.’s look is retro Nashville hipster, all black, in a flat-top cowboy hat, sharp boots, medallion necklace, polished but for the wild hair, wilder eyes and grin.

The show was big, the band killer: Sax man, guitar, bass and keys, two dancing backup singers — with Queensbury native Josh Morris on drums.

Over his final songs, P.J. held to center stage, hands on hips, hair dripping sweat, energy spent, smiling out into this love fest of a crowd, himself taking in the once-in-history moment.

Swagger aside, it was clear throughout, here’s a man who means to do well, aims to do his best — a rock star with Nashville flair, maybe, and also a native who knows where he’s come from.

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