90. LYLE LOVETT
(Opening for Sting)
July 24, 1996
Pine Knob Music Theatre
Clarkston, Michigan
Somewhere, during the summer of 1996, we acquired a copy of Lyle Lovett's The Road to Ensenada, an album of big-band and jazz-inspired country music that knocked our socks off. So we were very happily surprised when we learned that Lovett would be opening for Sting at Pine Knob Music Theatre.
As it turned out, we were so impressed with Lovett's performance that we became instant fans. As Lovett describes it ... his band is not big, it's large ... and they were excellent too! In fact, I would say that they were one of the top two or three tightest bands I have ever heard.
Some of Lovett's works were pretty spare and dark, like his opener Promises from Dead Man Walking. They reflected the depth and rawness of the man, traits we had come to respect in him. Still, the songs we loved best are the upbeat and pithy songs, such as Her First Mistake, That's Right, You're Not From Texas, and Don't Touch My Hat.
Lyle Lovett may have opened for Sting, but he was so good that he deserved his own place on this list.
The eloquence of Lyle Lovett ...
Promises
Long Tall Texan
You're Not From Texas
Fiona
Don't Touch My Hat
Private Conversation
Who Loves You Better
If I Had A Boat
She's No Lady
I Can't Love You Anymore
It Ought To Be Easier
Here I Am
You Can't Resist It
Church
The Road To Ensenada
What Do You Do
Cowboy Man
89. ROBBEN FORD
State Theatre
House of Blues, Chicago, Illinois (2002)
The Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, Michigan (1995)
An old friend turned me on to Robben Ford when he praised him as one of the best and most under-rated guitarists around ... so when Robben came to the The Blind Pig in Ann Arbor in 1995, I jumped at the chance to see him. Since then, I've attended maybe a half-dozen of his gigs. His roots are in California jazz; he was a member of the L.A. Express and the Yellowjackets. He has toured with everyone from George Harrison to Miles Davis. Musician Magazine named him one of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of the 20th Century".
Watching him play is like enjoying fine art. His technique and licks are incredibly smooth ... even when he was having an off night, like the most recent one in Nashville. It is still a joy to see him play.
For those of you who don't know him, check this out ...
Robben Ford at the Musicians Institute
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, California
88. ELTON JOHN AND RAY COOPER
"An Evening With Elton John And Ray Cooper"October 16, 1993
Jack Breslin Student Events Center
East Lansing, Michigan
By 1993, Elton John had been to hell and back and was well on the way to a second career peak. He had released the highly-acclaimed album, The One, and was in the midst of writing his Oscar-winning soundtrack to The Lion King. He had also returned to the road, playing worldwide both with his band as well as a solo act (with percussionist Ray Cooper). Elton articulated that touring alone was both challenging and creative; forcing him to sharpen his skills and make new interpretations of his work.
At the outset, Elton walked out with a ruffled white shirt and began to play Your Song. Without a back-up band, he performed the piece wonderfully, with great finesse and flourish. He continued through his set, focusing mostly on older material from Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across The Water. While impressive in technical and artistic brilliance, the show began to take on the ambience of a piano recital. For the second half of the program, however, Elton introduced Ray Cooper and the pace picked up significantly as the two of them ran through several of his rock hits.
Two thoughts. First, the guy is a musical genius and piano virtuoso. Second, an Elton John concert is simply more fun when he is playing under full power. This concert makes the list based on Elton's sheer brilliance and mastery of the instrument.
SETLIST:
Your Song
Skyline Pigeon
Sixty Years On
I Need You To Turn To
The Greatest Discovery
Talking Old Soldiers
Sacrifice
I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That
Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
A Woman's Needs
Where To Now St. Peter?
The North
The One
INTERMISSION
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Better Off dead
Idol
Levon
Indian Sunset
I Think I'm Gonna Kill Myself
Take Me To The Pilot
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Crazy Water
We All Fall In Love Sometimes
Curtains
Crocodile Rock
Bennie & The Jets
Pinball Wizard
Candle In The Wind
87. HERB ALPERT
August 22, 1984
Blossom Music Center
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
Herb Alpert played the Blossom Music Center in the summer of 1984 with a reunited (four original members) Tijuana Brass. I remember it was one of the most pleasant summer evenings for a concert that Tam and I ever experienced. The band was in great form ... the mood was right ... the sound was right. I never felt as suave and debonair as I did on that night.
One of his backing musicians was a young guitarist/keyboardist named Romeo Blue. His real name was Lenny Kravitz.
Herb Alpert 1984 Soul Train Performance
Introducing Romeo Blue (Lenny Kravitz)
In the middle of the show Alpert brought out a large mural 'speed painter' who used his bare hands - smearing and throwing paint - to make a portrait of Alpert, while he played Fandango. Both the painting and the musical performance were outstanding renderings. Afterward, Alpert gave the painting to a lucky fan in the audience.
Herb Alpert at Blossom Music Center
86. AIR SUPPLY / LITTLE RIVER BAND
"Lost In Love Tour"January 13, 2019
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota, Florida
"Garden Rocks Concert Series"
March 27, 2019
World Showcase Amphitheatre
Walt Disney World
"Air Supply And Little River Band"
March 23, 2024
The Sound At Coachman Park
Clearwater, Florida
Okay, all of you Air Supply skeptics!! I was also dubious of Air Supply, but that all changed once I saw them in concert.
PART I - Sarasota
We bought tickets for Air Supply as part of promotional package with Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. My initial assumptions about the Sarasota concert, going into it, were probably like yours. I was expecting a pleasant Sunday evening out with the wife, passively listening to live elevator music, with maybe two or three moderately recognizable songs thrown in.
Um ... no.
Our seats were pretty good, maybe eight rows back, which enabled me to look back and gauge the demographic of the audience. Yup, we were among the youngest ones there. Probably the largest collection of walkers and canes this side of Sam's Club. That said, the house was packed to the brim and there were many very enthusiastic women, some with signs, eagerly anticipating the show, their husbands sitting with arms folded and looking up at the ceiling.
There was no curtain, just a basic setup; keyboards on one small riser, three nondescript guitar amps, and a basic drum set on a two-foot platform behind plexiglass. At 7:05, the four-member backing band walked out onto the spartan stage and started playing. For several minutes, they performed a synthesizer-driven instrumental, getting gradually louder until the drums and bass were booming (the mix could have been slightly better). Then out stepped Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock to the visceral excitement of fans who had been anticipating their entrance far more than me.
For the next ninety minutes, the band ran through a stunning succession of pop hits, of which at least ten had been major ear-worms of the 1980s ... Sweet Dreams, Even The Nights Are Better, Every Woman In The World, and Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You). Frankly, I had no idea how prolific these guys were. More than once, I raised an eyebrow in recognition of another standard that I had heretofore never attributed to them. Yes, singer Russell Hitchcock looked more like someone I would meet at my high school reunion than a pop star, but he was pitch-perfect, nailing all the high notes. His much-younger support musicians added a subtle heavy-metal flavor that gave an astonishing power and authority to the songs.
Air Supply in concert
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota, Florida (January 13, 2019)
Sarasota, Florida (January 13, 2019)
Graham Russell provided a mid-concert interlude by reciting one of his poems (Invisible), to the delight of many in the audience.
The hit parade continued, with both artists strolling all the way to the rear of the auditorium while performing an extended version of The One That You Love, hugging and shaking hands with everyone who wanted to touch them. Seriously, in nearly fifty years of concerts, I had never seen anything quite like that.
As the concert built toward its finale, the band swung into the really big hits, requiring Hitchcock to belt out huge vocals, including an incredible cover version of Nilsson's Without You. Their closing song, All Out Of Love, was an ode to their audience, sharing vocals, pointing, waving, and gesturing to them. The interaction between artists and audience, with its palpable love and sincerity, was something that left me shaking my head. There have been few concerts where I was still reflecting on (and hearing) them the next morning. This was one of them.
PART II - Walt Disney World
Two months later. When Tam discovered that Air Supply was performing as part of the Garden Rocks Concert Series at Walt Disney World, she immediately bought a dinner/concert ticket package. Air Supply would perform three short concerts back to back, at 5:30, 6:45, and 8:00 pm. We planned to eat early, catch the middle show (in general admission seats), and then try premium seats for the late show. We had no idea how good the premium seats would be.
We could hear the first concert starting while hurriedly eating at Tokyo Dining, and still caught some of it while standing behind the huge crowd building behind the outdoor venue (probably the largest we've ever seen for a performance there).
For the second show, we had good center seats, maybe fifteen rows back from the stage. From there, we could appreciate the same quality of musicianship we had seen in Sarasota. The set lasted about forty minutes, including the now-familiar Russell Hitchcock walkabout into the audience, where he completely left the grandstands and wandered out into the standing room only crowd, now packed all the way to the American Pavilion. Returning, he thoughtfully stopped to sing briefly to a wheelchair-bound fan. Class.
By the third show, temperatures had dropped into the forties with wicked winds blowing in from the north. We stood in line with our premium tickets, freezing, and wondering where we would sit. After a forty minute wait, we were taken down to the front row. The stage was low, we were literally on it. The backing band fired up and soon followed the two primary protagonists. By now, our expectations were high, and they exceeded them, nailing outstanding renditions of Sweet Dreams, Even The Nights Are Better, All Out Of Love, Making Love Out Of Nothing At All, and Without You.
As before, the old ballads had been given new life as power-pop anthems, and Hitchcock's voice was as strong as ever (as evidenced by the video that I shot during the gig, below). We were so close that we were in front of the overhead house PA speakers. We could hear the singers' voices, as well as the bands' instrumentation, directly from the stage.
Watch this video I shot from the front row ...
Leaving Epcot, we could hear people excitedly commenting on the performance the same way we did in Sarasota ... both surprised and impressed. And again, throughout the next week, all we could hear was Air Supply playing in our heads.
PART III - The Sound At Coachman Park
Almost five years to the day of our Disney experience with Air Supply, we attended an inaugural season concert at The Sound in Clearwater. This time, we brought our good friends, Larry and Cindy. The outdoor venue, located directly on the bay, was a complete (4,000 seat) sell-out. Luckily, our seats were a handful of rows from the stage.
The Little River Band opened for Graham and Russell, playing eleven favorites in a breezy seventy-minute performance. The band, still led by Wayne Nelson, was tight and featured a mini-string and horn section that complemented their music perfectly. There is nothing better than a setlist full of hits.
Nelson was in good form between songs as well, offering pithy commentary throughout. Little River Band put on a fabulous show and was certainly worthy of being included in this list.
Afterward, the band members sat at the edge of the stage and greeted everyone while crews set up for the main act. Nice touch.
With Little River Band keyboardist Chris Marion
and drummer Ryan Ricks
Air Supply took the stage at 8:50 with the full array of lighting, lasers, and smoke machines cutting through the wind and rapidly-chilling night air. The band, and setlist, was basically identical to the previous two shows we had seen. We already knew how good they were, so we were no longer surprised by it. The volume and intensity of their program was several steps above the opening act, in fact there was a slight preponderance of bass guitar that penetrated our chests every time he plucked a string.
Russell had recently dyed his hair black and his acoutremon of oversized jewelry and matching black fingernail polish slightly detracted from his appearance, but his voice was in top form. Graham did his solo poetry bit too, reciting Flotilla The Hen for all of us. The avant garde reading, combined with the plummeting wind-chill, flushed more than a few guests into the night, leaving it to the stalwart fans.
Air Supply's performance was sensational, as always, but Tam and I agreed after the show that we had finally reached the point of saturation ... or should I say we were "All Out Of Love".
Setlists for both Little River Band and Air Supply ...
Thanks for the great shows Air Supply!! They were unforgettable!!
85. ALAN JACKSON / BROOKS & DUNN / JAKE OWEN
"CMT On Tour"
October 20, 2007Ford Amphitheatre
Tampa, Florida
It was a scorching night in Tampa. It was so humid that the concrete was sweating. The CMT On Tour concert series had arrived in town with a spectacular lineup ... Jake Owen, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson. We were so fired up, we bought third-row center seats.
We were excited to attend this show because all three acts were at the top of their game. Owens' first album Startin' With Me had been on the charts for a year, with its titular single reaching number six on the Billboard Hot Country Charts. He was opening for two headliners, so his set was limited to six songs.
Brooks & Dunn had just released Cowboy Town. Four singles from that album had reached the top ten, although I was really looking forward to hearing their 2003 hit Red Dirt Road. The duo came out smokin' hot ... and I don't mean musically. Obviously, they had been arguing prior to taking the stage and they continued it throughout their set. They played angry. They looked angry. They traded verbal barbs (off microphone) between songs. We could clearly see all of this from our vantage point six feet from the stage. Most of the audience didn't notice it that night, because they were constantly cheering.
Brooks and Dunn - Tampa Concert
October 2007
Jackson played fifteen songs. His backing band was first rate and his voice was a pure as his album tracks. The guy was an absolute pro.
BROOKS & DUNN SETLIST:
Hillbilly Deluxe
You Can't Take Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl
Boot Scootin' Boogie
Neon Moon
Rock My World
Proud Of The House We've Built
My Maria
It's Getting Better All The Time
She Likes To Get Out Of Town
Red Dirt Road
Play Something Country
Brand New Man
Believe
Only In America
Hillbilly Deluxe
You Can't Take Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl
Boot Scootin' Boogie
Neon Moon
Rock My World
Proud Of The House We've Built
My Maria
It's Getting Better All The Time
She Likes To Get Out Of Town
Red Dirt Road
Play Something Country
Brand New Man
Believe
Only In America
ALAN JACKSON SETLIST:
Gone Country
I Didn't Even Know Your Name
Livin' On Love
Little Bitty
Summertime Blues
Remember When
Don't Rock The Jukebox
Seven Bridges Road
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere
Who's Cheatin' Who
Drive
Where Were You
Chattahoochee
Where I Came From
Big Boss Man
84. HAPPY TOGETHER TOURS
August 17, 2017
Ryman Auditorium
May 31, 2023
Ruth Eckerd hall
Clearwater, Florida
2017: THE TURTLES, THE BOX TOPS, THE ASSOCIATION, THE COWSILLS, RON DANTE, CHUCK NEGRON
The Happy Together Tour had been roaming the country for years. It eventually caught Tam's attention and she got seats for a show at the Ryman Auditorium. We really had no idea what to expect. We knew all of the bands and many of their hits, but we'd also been to a few decrepit oldies shows too. So we kept our expectations tamped down.
Flo and Eddie of the Turtles introduced the show, welcoming many people in the audience back from previous years. After a few corny jokes, they stepped aside for the Box Tops. They played through their set, holding The Letter for last. Pretty solid performance. Next up were the Association. Wow. I knew all of their songs, but had no idea how many of those guys were original members of the group. It didn't really matter. They were good!
I was looking forward to the Cowsills, and they didn't disappoint. Three of the original family members (Bob, Susan, and Paul) really put it out there. Their harmonies were truly excellent, and we all sang along with Love American Style. This was starting to get fun!!
Then Ron Dante came out. Ron who? He explained that he was Barry Manilow's producer back in the 70s, to give himself some street-cred. Then he played through his surprisingly strong set, including Tracy and Sugar, Sugar. The guy was hilarious too.
Chuck Negron was next, playing four of his Three Dog Night hits, as well as sharing a few of his rock and roll memories (and nightmares).
It was a fast-moving show, with no delays between acts. There was also a great deal of joking around and self-deprecating humor throughout the night, much of it centered on the age of both the performers and the audience. I hadn't seen so much tie-die in years!
The Turtles returned to the stage and finished the concert with Happy Together, with everybody in the cast joining in. Indeed, we were very happy to be there.
2017 SETLIST:
Cry Like A Baby (The Box Tops)
Soul Deep (The Box Tops)
Green Onions (The Box Tops)
Neon Rainbow (The Box Tops)
The Letter (The Box Tops)
Windy (The Association)
Never My Love (The Association)
Cherish (The Association)
Along Comes Mary (The Association)
The Rain, The Park, and Other Things (The Cowsills)
We Can Fly (The Cowsills)
Indian Lake (The Cowsills)
Love American Style (The Cowsills)
Hair (The Cowsills)
Tracy (Ron Dante)
Jingle-Jangle (Ron Dante)
Bang-Shang-A-Lang (Ron Dante)
Commercials Medley (Ron Dante)
Sugar, Sugar (Ron Dante)
Elenore (The Turtles)
Happy Together (The Turtles plus full cast)
2023: THE COWSILLS, THE CLASSIC IV, THE VOGUES, GARY PUCKETT, LITTLE ANTHONY, THE TURTLES
Here we go again!!
We regrettably purchased the Ruth Eckerd Hall Happy Together VIP Dinner Package. The shrimp and grits had no shrimp or grits and the wine came in tiny plastic cups. It was pretty pathetic, to be honest, and we agreed we would stick with hot dogs and popcorn next time. The house was packed and it was the oldest audience I had ever seen at a concert. It was opening night of the 2023 Happy Together Tour (the first of 60 performances), so we were prepared for a few glitches.
The Cowsills enthusiastically kicked it off with their classic The Rain, the Park and Other Things. The stage monitors weren’t functioning and the vocal mix could have been better at the outset (Paul was a bit strong), but they quickly worked it out. Love American Style and Hair sounded fantastic! They were as fun as ever and still had their chops. We were off to a great start!
Susan Cowsill at Ruth Eckerd Hall
The Classics IV were next. Well, it was more like the Classics II, since only two guys came out to join the backing band … a singer and a saxophone player. Dennis Yost, the original founder of the group named Tom Garrett as the band's successor in 2008, just before he died, and Tom has been carrying the torch ever since. Their setlist was strong (Stormy, Traces, Spooky) even if the vocals were a little thin. I had always wanted to hear Traces live, so I was able to take that off my list.
The Classics IV ... check.
Tom Garrett and Paul Weddle of The Classics IV
The Vogues were all replacements, but they sounded incredible and sang with power and energy. And it got me wondering: Which was better … seeing the original artist, even if the performance was weak … or seeing a great performance, even if it was not the original artist? The Vogues seemed to answer that question definitively.
A brief intermission was followed by Clearwater resident Gary Puckett. He looked fit walking out from stage left, but he was wearing a cheesy lime-green raincoat. Tam jokingly made a comment that she'd once seen my Mom wear a coat like that. Then the large TV screen played a video of him on The Ed Sullivan Show wearing that same raincoat in 1968! It instantly made sense!!
Gary Puckett ... Now and then
His iconic voice was easily recognizable, but his delivery was a bit over-dramatic and he had developed a slight warble. I checked my cellphone; the dude was 80 years old!! He was having a ball waiving at all of his friends and neighbors in the audience. He even brought his grandkids out on stage. So I gave him a pass on the basis of sentimentality (but made a mental note that he perhaps should have used auto-tune).
Then came Little Anthony. He blew onto the stage with extra musicians and with a production that could only be described as James Brown on quaaludes. He was tremendous!! I checked his age too. He was 82!! His performance of Going Out Of My Head (Over You) was as smooth as silk and a highlight of the show.
Little Anthony at Ruth Eckerd Hall (from the wings)
The final act was The Turtles, but not the same Turtles we saw at the Ryman. Flo and Eddie had become Flo and Archie. Eddie (Howard Kaplan) had been in declining health, and underwent heart and back surgery in 2018. He was forced to retire, leaving it to ‘Archie,' who, it turned out, was our old favorite, Ron Dante. He carried the set as Flo circled the stage in a near-catatonic state, with a large tambourine around his neck and holding a drumstick. He played it up for laughs, but it was clear to everyone that Flo had dropped acid a few too many times.
Dante brushed off his old Cufflinks hit Tracy, as well as the biggest hit of 1969, Sugar, Sugar. The show closed with Elenore and Happy Together, with rousing reprises by all of the evening’s performers.
Ron Dante Interview - Living The Dream (2023)
All in all, Happy Together 2023 was another satisfying night of the 60s greatest hits, and the audience happily wandered out to their cars humming their favorite songs.
2023 SETLIST:
The Rain, The Park and Other Things (The Cowsills)
We Can Fly (The Cowsills)
Indian Lake (The Cowsills)
Love American Style (The Cowsills)
Hair (The Cowsills)
Every Day With You Girl (The Classics IV)
Stormy (The Classics IV)
Traces (The Classics IV)
Spooky (The Classics IV)
Five O'Clock World (The Vogues)
My Special Angel (The Vogues)
Turn Around, Look At Me (The Vogues)
You’re The One (The Vogues)
Lady Willpower (Gary Puckett)
There’s No Getting Over You (Gary Puckett)
This Girl Is A Woman Now (Gary Puckett)
Woman, Woman (Gary Puckett)
Young Girl (Gary Puckett)
Tears On My Pillow (Little Anthony)
Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Bop (Little Anthony)
Hurts So Bad (Little Anthony)
Goin' Out Of My Head (Little Anthony)
She'd Rather Be With Me (The Turtles)
You Baby (The Turtles)
It Ain’t Me Babe (The Turtles)
You Show Me (The Turtles)
Tracy (Ron Dante - Cufflinks)
Sugar, Sugar (Ron Dante - Archies)
For Your Love (Yardbirds - partial)
Elenore (The Turtles)
Happy Together (The Turtles plus full cast)
83. KENNY LOGGINS / PATRICK SIMMONS
"Welcome To Heartlight Tour"
August 22, 1983
Blossom Music Center
Cuyahoga Halls, Ohio
Patrick Simmons (of the Doobie Brothers) opened for Loggins. He played a solid, mostly acoustic set (So Wrong, Slat Key Soquel Rag, Why You Givin' Up, and the Beatle's Blackbird). I particularly enjoyed his low-key musicianship featuring alternate guitar tunings and elegant, jazz-like fingerpicking. Pat Simmons was one cool dude, and I liked his style!
Loggins was already a respected musician by 1983, having authored several pop hits. Interestingly, he seemed to prefer working in a duo, whether with longtime partner Jim Messina or Stevie Nicks, Michael McDonald, and Steve Perry. He was in the midst of remaking himself; tightening up his image with shorter hair and beard and more stylish tailoring. He was transitioning from west coast-acoustic music to mainstream pop, and his fans that night loved it. He was on the cusp of superstardom, with one of his hottest hits being I'm Alright (the theme from Caddyshack), and he was in the midst of writing even more soundtrack hits for the movie Footloose.
82. JOHN WAITE
"40 Years Of Missing You Tour"November 8, 2023
Van Wezel Performing Arts Center
Sarasota, Florida
Karma in action. My wife, Tam, was able to acquire second row seats for John Waite for $30 the day before the show. Our seats were maybe five feet from the stage. An usher told us that the venue might be half full for the performance.
I knew who John Waite was. I knew he was in The Babys and Bad English, but I knew him mostly as the guy who did the 80s music video Missing You where a lightbulb swung back and forth over his head in a dark room. It was a fantastic song, so I figured it would be a great opportunity to see him in person.
The lights dimmed and nobody was sitting on either side of us ... until an overly-suntanned woman in a too-short-for-her-age sundress staggered in with a drink in her hand, grabbed my shoulder as she sat down, and smiled at me with sour breath. It's like that moment when the last person getting on the plane takes the open seat next to you. As she hammered her cocktail through the swizzle stick, she also began to scream at opening act Jeffrey Gaines. He ignored her at first, but finally from the stage, he looked down, laughed, and said "I remember you from the meet and greet." This only served to stir her to greater kinetics. Flapping her arms and elbowing me in the face repeatedly.
During the intermission, the lady went to the can and returned with another supersized drink. By the time Waite came out, she didn't know where she was. This was not going to end well.
His opening number, the Bad English hit When I See Your Smile, was performed acoustically and was outstanding. Waite was unfased by the smallish audience, but definitely noticed the spastic blonde in row two. At one point she yelled something unintelligible and Waite asked her to repeat what she said. She began barking in tongues. His eyes grew wide and he quickly turned away to play Chances. At this point, she stood up and promptly spilled her drink on the lady sitting in front of her.
Luckily, she was embarrased enough by the incident to sit quietly for most of the rest of the concert, other than constantly elbowing me and whisper-yelling in my ear to stand up. My ear plugs came in handy.
Back on stage, Waite was putting on a tremendous show. His three man backing band, Mark Ricciardi (guitar), Tim Hogan (bass), and Alan Childs, the original drummer with The Babys (and David Bowie), created a rich backing track for his still-perfect voice. The dude still had it, and he still looked pretty much like he did in the 80s.
Interestingly, I observed a definite quirkiness to his movements, like many artists of that era. Robert Palmer and Michael Hutchence of INXS immediately came to mind.
Going back and forth between full band and acoustic accompaniment, his set was deep with hits ... Everytime I Think Of You, Isn't It Time, Back On My Feet Again, and Missing You. Waite spent several moments chatting with the audience about his time in Nashville, and the influence that country music had on his music. He recalled the repertoire of Patsy Cline and Marty Robbins, as well as his performance at the Grand Ole Opry with friend Alison Krauss. His presentations of Bluebird Cafe and Vince Gill's Whenever You Come Around were highlights.
He closed his show with a version of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, and literally became Robert Plant as he howled into his microphone ... "woman, you neeeeeeed!" At which point, the lush next to me jumped to her feet and began screaming at me to scream with her.
Waite's show was over in an hour and fifteen minutes. I picked up several guitar picks from the sticky floor as we slid past the mess, near comatose, in Row B Seat 3.
Would I go through it all again? Yes. Waite was that good.
On His Stage Monitor
December 1, 2023
Hertz Arena
Estero, Florida
Joe Bonamassa is the standard-bearer for blues in the twenty-first century. Since 2000, he has released thirty-two solo albums. More than two dozen of those albums reached number one on the Billboard Blues Chart. Still, Bonamassa was an enigma, often hiding behind his stage persona. So it was a rare opportunity to gain an appreciation when he sat down with video-blogger Rick Beato for a ninety-minute interview four days before his Hertz Arena (Ft. Myers) gig.
During the interview, he seemed like a regular guy, somewhat reserved, but you could easily observe his sheer passion for playing guitar. He played variations on BB King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and even Jeff Beck. His skills on the fretboard were prodigious, as was his reverence for the roots of the blues.
So I anticipated Bonamassa’s show with eagerness, because when it comes to the blues, live performance is where the rubber meets the road.
The concert was a platform for his virtuosity. Dressed in his iconic sharkskin suit and Men-In-Black sunglasses, he plowed through twelve songs in two hours. His setlist included traditional blues as well as covers of Fleetwood Mac (Peter Green era), ZZ Top, and Led Zeppelin.
He played seven consecutive songs back-to-back without uttering a single word of banter. His guitar tech raced out with a different guitar for each number (Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul flame-top, Fender Strat, Gibson 335, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul gold-top, Gibson Explorer). Bonamassa adapted his playing style to each instrument, allowing each guitar to sing.
And he was right! During his Beato interview he said that too much concert soloing in high register was fatiguing to the ears. Focusing on the lower strings created a warmer sound and was far more listenable. His awareness of this made two hours of constant soloing far more palatable.
At one point, he played a subtle low-key jazz riff and finished it off with a gorgeous little lick, to which he irreverently whipped off his glasses and stood at attention to the abject appreciation of the four thousand loyal fans in the arena.
When he did stop to chat with the audience, he told us that Ft. Myers was the next-to-last stop on a tour that began ten months ago, and covered seventy thousand miles (including one very well paying gig in Australia). He sincerely thanked everyone for their support and gratefully shared with us the news that his new album Blues Deluxe 2 had just reached number one on the blues charts, making it his twenty-seventh top-selling effort. Half of the cuts played that night were from that album.
He introduced his excellent backing band, saving the keyboard player for last; three-time Grammy winner Reese Wynans was a member of Stevie Ray Vaughan's legendary Double Trouble. Thirty years later, his expertise on the Hammond B3 was still unsurpassed.
Bonamassa's performance was outrageous, stretching the bounds between rock and blues. He was technically brilliant and his passion for the blues was absolute. He was a guitar bulldozer.
SETLIST:
Hope You Realize It (Goodbye Again)
Twenty-Four Hour Blues
Well, I Done Got Over It
Self-Inflicted Wounds
I Want To Shout About It
The Last Matador Of Bayonne
I Feel Like Breaking Up Someone's Home Tonight
The Heart That Never Waits
Is It Safe To Go Home
Lazy Poker Blues
Just Got Paid / Dazed And Confused
Mountain Time