First things, this is a band’s band. No pop stars, pretty boys, dancers, gimmicks or costumes here. Music is the priority and everyone in the band is a virtuoso. The focus is on Derek’s perfect slide guitar playing and Susan’s voice. Songs included Down Don’t Bother Me, Midnight In Harlem, Get What You Deserve, Bound For Glory and the finale Space Captain.
My only issue is that vocalist, Mike Mattison has become a bit of a casualty in the almagamation having been relegated to backing singer in most songs. It’s not that I don’t like Susan, it’s just that I do like Mike.
I’m glad I saw these guys in a smaller club rather than the big outdoor stadium. The intimate performance gave a little bit more insight into the effort the band members put into their playing. Derek in particular seems very focussed on his own playing and as leader of the band, looking around giving support and encouragement to the others as he steps in and out of the spotlight. His playing is superb from very subtle enhancements to blistering crescendo solos. A fantastic performance … one of the best I’ve been to this year.

Mavis Staples opened the show and to be quite honest I was a little disappointed. Yes she can sing beautifully and highlights of the set were the Band’s The Weight, Wrote A Song For Everyone and the finale, I’ll Take You There. Given the hour set, I thought the sparse backing band’s solo section was far too long given the huge catalogue of songs she could have performed during this time. Even backing singer, sister Yvonne struggled not to yawn at times. A great lady, a great voice but not the show I was hoping for.

Thirty minutes later, the Blind Boys from Alabama were a different story. This was to be an evening of gospel harmonies, mixed with blues all in praise of the Lord. I’m sorry, you can’t talk about the BB of A without it sounding like you’ve attended a southern church service. In a lot of ways, it is a religous ceremony with songs like Soldier in The Army Of The Lord, Way Down In The Hole and Perfect Peace. With a new album iminent, new songs such as the title track Take The High Road were obligatory and then add in some interesting re-works of Amazing Grace a la House Of The Rising Sun , Stand By Me and Spirit In The Sky. Finishing off with a revival meeting style finale with lead singer Jimmy Carter running up and down the aisles in the stalls (I know he’s blind but that doesn’t seem to slow him down) urging everyone to sing along. If that wasn’t enough, guest artist Aaron Neville blending his beautiful lead vocal to their harmonies in songs like People Get Ready was an added bonus.

In conclusion, each artist on their own may not have been enough to coax me out, but the package deal certainly got the better of my curiosity and I’m glad I went. I certainly won’t need to go to Church for a while.

Tonight was a family excursion with my wife and two sons attending. Such is ZZ Top’s appeal. They have had a universal fascination to various generations from their Texas blues origins in the 70s through to the high-tech glossy videos of the 1980s and now as they perpetuate their look, sound and image, one thing has not changed from day one: they are the best boogie band on the planet.

So it was a very mixed crowd standing jammed together on the floor at Festival Hall. Bikies, bankers, old blues enthusiasts, young guitar fans …. all donned their favourite band black t-shirt and tried to look as cool as possible. This wasn’t a nostalgia night like other bands of the era, this was a major current event - ZZ Top were in town for the first time since 2000.

ZZ Top hit the stage in a sea of lights and immediately set the pace with Got Me Under Pressure. Despite being aged over 60, the band seems somewhat ageless mainly due to the beards (although they are much greyer these days than in the film clips) and one thing is for certain, the music hasn’t changed or strayed far from its original roots in the four decades they’ve been together. The hits continued with Waitin’ for the Bus, Jesus Just Left Chicago, I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide. Signs of wear might be creeping into the singing of both Gibbons and Hill, but it suites their famous rough sound.
There is a lot of technology behind the show tonight including lights, video screens and I suspect also some assistance musically, but this takes nothing away from the serious guitar playing going on here. Also there are some great visual distractions such as the furry guitars from the “Legs” film clip, the truck exhaust mike stands, the old photos of the band on the screen and a couple of “blues technicians” who assist with the correct blues hat attire.

ZZ top have perfected the show to include all the hits (Gimme All Your Lovin’, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs) along with their tributes to the blues (Rock Me Baby) and a great version of Hey Joe dedicated to one of their earliest fans, Jimi Hendrix. A final encore of the 70s hits La Grange and Tush and all of the crowd went home with huge grins on their faces. A great night’s entertainment.

Set List:
1.Got Me Under Pressure
2.Waitin’ for the Bus
3.Jesus Just Left Chicago
4.Pincushion
5.I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
6.Future Blues
7.Rock Me Baby (B.B. King cover)
8.Cheap Sunglasses
9.I Need You Tonight
10.Hey Joe (Hendrix Cover)
11.Brown Sugar
12.Party on the Patio
13.Just Got Paid
14.Gimme All Your Lovin’
15.Sharp Dressed Man
16.Legs
Encore:
17.La Grange
18.Tush

A B.B. King concert is a bit like a Royal Visit for blues enthusiasts. Here is the man who can probably take more credit for the Blues than any other living artist.

Once again, I first saw BB King in the late 1970s at Melbourne’s Festival Hall. At that time I didn’t really know who he was or what I was in for. I had come at the demands of an older mate who insisted I experience what real blues were all about. I left as a new disciple.

Last night’s concert opened (as it did also back in the 70s and I imagine it has done so for much longer than that) with a 15 minute jam by BB’s impressive big-band. Every-one all dressed in their Sunday best suits, warming up themselves and the crowd before the man himself walks (slowly and with support these days) onto the stage to the standing appreciation of the crowd.

At 84, BB King is just as interested in telling you about his life as he is playing the blues. Large parts of the evening were spent ‘holding court’ over his subjects as he told tales of Mississippi, touring the world, chastising the drummer and sweet talking women in the front row. At times as if sensing the crowd needed a “fix”, after a quick signal to the band, BB would let rip on the faithful “Lucille” and deliver pedigree blues if only for a few minutes.

Songs included Key to The Highway, Rock Me Baby, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean, Every Day I Have The Blues and an upbeat When Love Comes to Town. The final and highlight for me was of course The Thrill Is Gone before a sing along When The Saints Go Marching In

Rather than the usual leave stage and return for an encore, the not so mobile BB instead remained center stage, tossing out guitar picks as fast as his two assistants could get them out of their pockets. You knew it was all over when another aide brought out his travelling hat and overcoat which BB donned and after a brief “royal wave” session slowly left the stage as the band played on for a few minutes as the lights came up.

I’m not sure if BB King will make another trip to Australia, so it was an evening of fond farewells. I’m glad I came to see the man. I’m also glad I saw him way back in the 70s to fully appreciate the music.

“What’s a Doobie Brother?” was my niece’s comment. Trying to explain was going to be a waste of time. Fotunately my youngest son was not as naive and had been keen to go from the moment they first announced the tour. However, it was with some trepidation that I bought the tickets as my memory of a previous tour was not without criticism. It was in the late 1970’s at Festival Hall and the sound was crap and the concert over-indulgent.

So it was a great relief to hear a trimmed down Doobie Brothers do what they can do best. With only two originals amongst the seven musicians, guitarists Tom Johnston & Patrick Simmons led the band through an impeccable show. These two guys are probably the crux of the original Doobie Brothers sound anyway and for those hung up with the Michael McDonald incarnation, they managed a very impressive rendition of Taking it To The Streets to appease the soul/soft-rock fans.
Whilst the night was probably an hommage to the guitar player with all the guitar-based hits (Long Train Running, China Grove, Listen to the Music), you tend to overlook the fact that the Doobie Brothers are also a great vocal band with full voices and great harmonies.

They performed four tracks from their 2010 album World Gone Crazy , (Nobody, Far From Home, Chateau and the title track), which were well received by the crowd, but even better appreciated when Patrick Simmons said, “That’s not what you paid for” and returned to their better known songs.

Overall I had a great night: the band was tight, the sound was great, the old songs were good and I now have a new appreciation for Patrick Simmon’s sense of humour ( I hope support act Nick “Ned” Barker does too)

Set List:
1.Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me)
2.Jesus Is Just Alright
3.Dangerous
4.Rockin’ Down the Highway
5.Clear as the Driven Snow
6.Nobody
7.Far From Home
8.World Gone Crazy (with excerpt of Choirgirl by Cold Chisel)
9.Chateau
10.Takin’ It to the Streets
11.Don’t Start Me (to) Talkin’
12.Little Bitty Pretty One
13.Black Water
14.Long Train Runnin’
Encore:
15.China Grove
16.Without You
17.Listen to the Music

A very intimate evening with Canadian guitarist Harry Manx.
Could you get a more laid back, personal and talented performer?

You get a pretty good understanding of what the night was like if you’ve listened to any of Harry’s live cd or dvd performances. A mixed variety of his work from his catalog of nine albums since 2001 interspersed with some interesting chatter about songs, instruments and places. Moving from guitar, to banjo to the intrigiung east meets west 20 string mohan veena , Harry’s folk-blues blend of original material, instrumental and the odd cover version ensured a very entertaining evening.

If you haven’t heard Harry before, check out some samples on his web site www.harrymanx.com or better still in concert next time he’s in Australia.

AWESOME!
Last night I experienced one of the best shows I’ve been to in a long, long time. Buddy Guy and his band took the stage and immediately took the crowd.

Mr Buddy Guy

Dressed in a light blue track suit and a hat that Donny Osmond would be proud of, the diminutive figure let rip with some fine string bending examples of how the blues should be played. The repertoire borrowed heavily from his peers including Muddy Waters “Hoochie Coochie Man”, John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom”, Cream’s “Strange Brew” and Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile”; all of which were indelibly stamped with the Buddy Guy sound. The only major departure from the blues set was the soulful title track from his 2008 album, “Skin Deep”.

Rick Hall on second guitar proved to be no slouch either. Very early in the set, Buddy stood aside to let him demonstrate his licks and boy was he good. Throw in a ZZTop 360 guitar twirl and a great guitar duel with Buddy and we have another great showman worth keeping an eye out for in the future.

We saw all the tricks with Buddy playing his guitar over his head, upside down, with his teeth, one handed, beaten with a drumstick and even flogged with a towel. Wireless technology also allowed a quick tour up and down the aisles of the stalls playing and singing directly to the crowd. It’s hard to imagine any other 74 year olds capable of keeping up with him. In between songs are brief tales and references to the history of the blues as well as a wicked sense of humour that the audience lapped up.

It’s quite evident that so many people have been influenced by Buddy Guy including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and even Huggy Bear from the old ‘Starsky and Hutch’ seems to have borrowed a few fashion ideas.

The James Brown of the guitar? The Ricky May of the blues? No! None of these. It’s just Mr Buddy Guy. He’s earnt it and deserves full respect as a true blues prodigy of our time.

Another legend ticked off on my list.

“Buddy Guy was to me what Elvis was for others.” Eric Clapton
“Without Buddy Guy, there would be no Stevie Ray Vaughan.” Stevie Ray Vaughn
“Guitar Legends do not come any better than Buddy Guy” Bill Wyman
“Buddy Guy is a master. He’s the bravest guitar player I’ve ever seen on a bandstand. He’ll pull you into his trap and kill you. He owns that bandstand and everyone knows it when Buddy’s up there.” Lonnie Brooks

Ry Cooder 2009

I’ve followed every collaboration and move he has made since. Some I’ve liked, some I haven’t.
The last album I was trully enthralled with wasn’t even his! Produced by Ry, The Mavis Staples album “We’ll never Turn Back” to me is in the classic 1970’s Ry Cooder style. Sparse bluesy gospel numbers with big drums and bass and that lovely electric slide guitar sound that can only be Ry Cooder.
With this in mind, I have been eagerly awaiting the show since it was first announced that the band would only comprise of Ry, his son Joachim on drums and the added bonus of Nick Lowe on bass. No accordians, no Cuban bossa novas, no east meets west weirdo stringed instruments, just a basic trio of very talented musicians. I was not disappointed. From the moment they leisurely strolled onto the stage, an air of expectation of greatness engulfed the crowd.
Easing into a “Fool Who Knows” followed by the early standards “Fool for a Cigarette” and an unbelievable “Vigilante Man”, the scene had been set for the rest of the evening. Despite plucking songs from across a thirty year recording period, each one seemed to flow even if they were all more representative of the early 70s albums. Highlights for me were the previously mentioned “Vigilante Man”, “Little Sister”, “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live” and Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”

Paul Cashmere at undercover.com.au has a great review and covered all the nitty gritty details of what, when etc. Read it! I can only agree that it was a great show and should not be missed.

Two points to make:

1977 seems a long time ago. Thinking about the music of the period, most people come up with ‘Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack’, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ or even ‘Never Mind The Bollocks its the Sex Pistols’. It was an era of mixed tastes, some of which have not stood the test of time.

GoodBye Tiger

Here in Australia, Richard Clapton released his fourth album, ‘GoodBye Tiger’ which was immediately embraced as his best so far. It also was one of the few albums to define Australian music and culture at the time. Despite a fair proportion of the album having apparently been written whilst in Europe during winter, Clapton portrayed typical images of Australian summer romances at the beach particularly in songs like “Deep Water” and “Lucky Country”.

It’s now 2009 and for the first time Richard Clapton has decided to play live the entire “GoodBye Tiger” album at special shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

I haven’t seen Richard Clapton live since the 1980s and I was very keen to relive the satisfaction and enjoyment which I remembered fondly. Just like the album, Richard has endured the test of time. The long black locks, black t-shirt and jeans, the nervous but enduring smile are all familiar. So too is the music.
Hitting the stage with “Lucky Country” and following the album’s track listing, Clapton manages to move easily between the slower songs like the title ‘Goodbye Tiger’; the sing along anthem, “Deep Water”, the rarely played hard hitting, “Back on The Edge Again”, before slowing down for the two final tracks, ‘Hiding From The Light’ and ‘Amsterdam’.
After a brief intermission we were treated to the rest of the Richard Clapton experience including all the hits from his vast array of albums. Highlights were ‘Blue Bay Blues’, ‘Stepping Across the Line’, ‘Capricorn Dancer’, ‘The Best Years Of Our Lives’ and the finale piece de resistances ‘Girls On The Avenue’ and “I am an Island’. An unexpected final encore of the Stones’ ‘Dead Flowers’ and I’ve walked away a very happy man.

Richard Clapton is not “back”, he’s never been away.
Australia’s timeless classic album, without a doubt: ‘Goodbye Tiger’.