There was very little buzz, much less publicity, for Wednesday night’s Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers show at The Riverside Theatre in Downtown Milwaukee.  

Nothing via Martin’s twitter account, nothing from band mate Edie Brickell, no Milwaukee mention from the band on twitter and zero local media appearances by Martin or anyone in the band.   Maybe this is how it goes when you’re at Steve Martin’s celebrity level.  Who knows?  

All I knew going into the show was, well, very little.  Of course, I knew Martin was an accomplished banjo player and showman, and that he and "his" band were touring in support of their latest album "Love Has Come for You."  But, I didn’t know what to expect other than how the show was billed, "an evening of music and comedy."  

The lack of hype around the show didn’t matter though because it was Steve Martin.  Bucket list it as now I can add him to a list that includes Cosby, Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and a few others.  

But Wednesday night wasn’t really about laughs.  Martin, clearly positioned as a band member and not just a front guy, strolled onto the stage after his bandmates and while he stood front and center he fit in perfectly.  He started with a joke about the Riverside’s web site stating that he "Sold Out."  He said, "how rude is that?"

Obviously way more well-known for his movies, stand-up and hosting appearances on "Saturday Night Live," Martin’s accomplished on the banjo and in a short time become a force and Grammy Award winner in bluegrass music.  

On stage, Martin picked and strummed his banjos (he had five with him) with focused energy, speed and obvious passion.  

Paired with The Steep Canyon Rangers, who were down a lead man (Woody Platt had to fly home for a family issue but was replaced on guitar by percussionist Mike Ashton ) and the powerhouse vocals of Edie Brickell, this "evening of music and comedy" quickly became one solid evening of pure entertainment.  Martin did schtick between songs, and the rest of the time together with the band they all played good, solid, bluegrass music.

Most of the jokes integrated well with the music, but on several songs — like Martin’s originals "Atheists Ain’t Got No Songs," "Jubilation Day," and "Pretty Little One," — the lyrics became the story and the comedy.    Yet even with Martin and Brickell off stage for two songs, the show hummed along especially on the amazing song about Heaven, "I Can’t Sit Down." 

You could tell that Martin really likes what he’s doing.  The two hour show cruised by quickly and ended with probably the real standout from the evening the Steep Canyon Rangers’ fiddle player, Nicky Sanders. Sanders was featured on "Auden’s Train," and truly ripped it up.  

The three song encore started with Martin saying, "I know there are varying ticket prices tonight, and it really seems unfair to me that people who paid less can have the same encore experience. Please, if you paid less, please perhaps cover one eye."  It ended with rousing and harmonized versions of "Another Round" and "So Long Now," before the band members walked off the stage together.  

For me, a testament of a great show - especially one where I know little of the music going into it - is would I download and buy the music after the show's over?  The answer Wednesday night was an easy yes.  I’m still humming the songs and smiling, and can’t wait to sing along to many of them as I drive to work tomorrow morning.  

All in all,  if you missed Steve Martin, the Steep Canyon Rangers and Edie Brickell on Wednesday you missed a great evening of solid, succinct and heartfelt schtick and amazing, rocking bluegrass music.