Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 8:18 am Post subject: Review: Rockin' Blues Revue in Lancaster, CA
The Lancaster Center for the Performing Arts is an attractive new auditorium complex in the heart of California’s high desert area northeast of Los Angeles. (It’s close by Edwards Air Force Base, home to a good part of the U.S.’s space and advanced aircraft development.) After a two-hour drive from home I was pleased to be greeted outside the complex by a deliciously-smelling open-air demonstration and sampling from local Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que. The crowd was friendly (one of those concert groups that looks like all of the people you know back home, even if you don’t know any of them), if a bit well-aged. (But then, so’s John Mayall, who turns 72 this November. Mayall was out in the lobby, before the show, selling CDs, giving autographs, and generally having fun with the crowd.) The venue seats around 650. While the show wasn’t a sell-out, there were few empty seats.
First up was Eric Bibb. This was my first opportunity to hear him live (he has lived in London for years, and catching him in the U.S. can be a challenge), and I was not disappointed. He has a wonderfully warm baritone voice, sort of a combination between his Godfather Paul Robeson and his good friend Taj Majal (except with intonation). Alone with an acoustic 6-string and an acoustic 12-string, he started with a great take on “Stagger Lee,” a tribute to B.B. King entitled “Tell Riley,” his own “Connected” (a song sure to connect a performer with his or her audience), “Goin’ Down Slow,” and then two Gospel-flavored numbers, his own “A Ship Called Love,” and finally the Rev. Gary Davis’ “I Heard the Angels Singin’”. The crowd wanted more, but Bibb, promising to come back later, told us that there were “lots of great musicians here for you tonight.”
As Bibb left the stage, Robben came out with Mayall’s band, Buddy Whittington on guitar, Joe Yuele on drums and Hank Van Sickle on bass. Whittington played fine rhythm and did some back-up vocals while Robben (on the red Les Paul, into a Super Reverb with little or no artificial ingredients) launched into “Over My Head,” then “Cannonball Shuffle,” “The Way You Treated Me (You’re Gonna Be Sorry)” (with a great extended solo), “ and “Don’t Deny Your Love.” As the band launched into an f-minor vamp I knew what was coming. Robben announced that “this is one of Willie Dixon’s least-well tunes,” but thanks to the “Blue Moon” album, at least it isn’t a secret. “It Don’t Make Sense The You Can’t Make Peace.” Robben sang from the heart, and traded long and melodic solos with Whittington. To close out the first half of the show, it was “Lovin’ Cup.”
I had a chance to talk with Eric Bibb during the intermission, and learned that the “Dance Me To The End Of Love” on his “Friends” album is a completely different tune than the one by the same name recorded by jazz singer Madeline Peyroux, and just a happy coincidence in titles (as the writer of the other one is a friend of his). So of course I had to buy the “Friends” CD from him, right then and there.
Back into the theater, where the Bluesbreakers opened the second half with Whittington doing the vocal on “You Upset Me Baby.” Whittington then brought out “The Father of British Blues,” as Mayall launched into “Road Dogs,” and then “Chaos.” After chatting with the crowd a bit, he went back in time for “Walkin’ on Sunset,” and then forward to the newish “Burned Bridges.” He and the band then did a great medley of well-known shuffle and jump tunes, with Whittington pulling some fun technical fireworks on his Tele’.
Then Mayall brought Robben back out for “Have Your Heard About My Baby,” from the immortal “Beano” album of 1965. All of a sudden it was as if Mayall had managed to take 40 years off of his aging voice. All of the power and expression were back. Robben and Whittington traded some amazing guitar solo work, with Robben adding some melodic and harmonic invention that would have caused Eric Clapton to faint dead away if anyone had suggested such stuff 40 years ago. (Were they really all that young in the “Beano” days? Were any of us?)
Then Bibb came back out, to lead the band (and everyone else) in a traditional up-tempo arrangement of the Gospel classic “Don’t Let Nobody Turn You ‘Round.” Between verses Bibb grinned and turned it back over in sequence to “Brother Robben” and “Brother Buddy” for more solos. Hallelujah!
One knew that an encore was in the works, and the crowd yelled until Mayall and the Bluesbreakers came back out and did “Room to Move,” before Mayall invited everyone to come out and join him in the lobby. As I left there was a great crowd around Mayall, Bibb, and even the sometimes-reclusive Robben, getting autographs and just having fun.
Let’s see, I’ve already let the GAS folks know that it was the Red LP and the Super Reverb. Mayall plays harp, keyboards, and his tiny walnut-burl guitar through an old Roland. Whittington used a maple-boarded Strat to pay rhythm for Robben, but a rosewood-boarded Tele’ for the second half. Bibb’s 6-er was made for him in England by a luthier who used to work for Lowden, and the 12 was a Martin.
And finally, Elizabeth: Robben wore the long-sleeved white tee-shirt with the “Uncut + Faith + Spirit” artwork, grey denims, and the dark burgundy cowboy boots. Bibb wore his gorgeous signature flat-brimmed hat (gotta’ get one of those), and Mayall, in his dock shoes, khakis and Mexican shirt, looked as if he’d just arrived from cocktail hour down here at the harbor. Hope I’m having half as much fun when I’m in my 70's.
This tour is definitely worth going out of your way for. Check out www.johnmayall.com for details.
[/url] _________________ - BlueRunner
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The Lancaster Center for the Performing Arts is an attractive new auditorium complex in the heart of California’s high desert area northeast of Los Angeles. (It’s close by Edwards Air Force Base, home to a good part of the U.S.’s space and advanced aircraft development.) After a two-hour drive from home I was pleased to be greeted outside the complex by a deliciously-smelling open-air demonstration and sampling from local Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que. The crowd was friendly (one of those concert groups that looks like all of the people you know back home, even if you don’t know any of them), if a bit well-aged. (But then, so’s John Mayall, who turns 72 this November. Mayall was out in the lobby, before the show, selling CDs, giving autographs, and generally having fun with the crowd.) The venue seats around 650. While the show wasn’t a sell-out, there were few empty seats.
