So I went to see Johnny Winter last night at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver. A friend of mine just called me the day before and said "Hey, wanna see Johnny Winter Thursday night?" Uh.......YEAH! It was a great show but I'll get back to that.
What struck me was the opening act.
David Gogo: http://www.davidgogo.org/
I'm not a fan of David Gogo. Actually, I was expecting to ho hum him when I heard he was opening. I think I heard a few of his electric tracks in the late eighties and was never really impressed.
Big surprise. I looked at the stage and there was a chair and an old Fender twin. On the guitar tree (did you know they grow on trees?) there was an old National Dobro and what looked to be a Gibson L-00. He later stated that it was a 1920's L5 but the sound hole kind of made me assume otherwise.
The sound was great for his set. When he started playing I was awestruck. This man can shred the blues. Amazing with a slide. Perfect intonation with that bottleneck. I was pleasantly shocked. I couldn't name any of the songs since I'm not a listener. He did a couple of covers. A Howlin' Wolf tune and others. And, he's a decent story teller. Well worth seeing for this acoustic set.
And, it was just him. No band. Just David and two acoustic guitars. He didn't nearly get the recognition he deserved for his playing. He's earned my respect completely. A good player. Excellent voice and generally a decent entertainer. Thanks for the show David!
Johnny Winter:
I was not expecting this. Johnny is 66. He looks old for 66. I mean I was there with my friends who were 61. 62 and they look 30 years younger than Johnny did last night. This probably could be attributed to a hard life on the road and to his albinism. I really wasn't sure he was going to make it.
Never the less, he slowly made it to his chair and picked up a headless Erlwine Lazer guitar.
The first few songs I have to say, were a little rough. I can't help but think this was due to the sound being so horrible. I couldn't hear what Johnny was playing. I'm sure he couldn't hear it either. His mic was feeding back and it was just a muddy mess. Needless to say, there were some missed cues and the band was playing catch up.
The band I must say was very impressive.
Vitto Luizzi on drums. This guy is fantastic. A seriously good drummer. Not flashy but you could tell, this was a guy who practiced rudiments until they were second nature. Very, very tight.
Scott Spray on Bass. Another very talented musician. When you see a bass player like him you understand that bass really is a different instrument than guitar. It's not just a guitar with lower strings. You play it differently the approach is just totally different than guitar. Scott is just so at ease with that instrument but when you listen to what he's playing it makes you wonder how. Sure simple walking bass lines but really, not simple at all.
Paul Nelson on guitar.
This man SHREDS. He's just a wicked player. When they came on stage, initially without Johnny, Paul just ripped it up. Not in any random way. He's a tasteful player.
These guys as "back up" are a force to contend with. They just assault you with some seriously good musicianship. Mind you, should we really expect anything less from Johnny Winter? I suppose not.
After Johnny gave the sound guy some pointers(Seriously he just said turn my mic down. It was picking up the whole stage and turning everything into mud) all of a sudden things started to gel.
The songs were tighter. Johnny's playing was tighter. Granted Johnny's older now. His playing isn't what it was 30 years ago but man, he could still wipe the stage with probably the majority of the audience(who, of course, were predominantly guitar players.).
They did some great tunes "Good Morning Little School Girl" was definitely a highlight. They also did some great covers including Jimi Hendrix's Red House.
Watching these guys reminded me of what it means to be a band. Playing off of each other. Covering for each other's mistakes. Doing your part so that everyone sounds their best.
It was quite apparent the amount of respect these guys had for Johnny. They weren't doting over him but they supported him by playing their best.
I have to say that Johnny had some little hiccups. That's likely due to the poor sound, the inability to hear himself through the mud and just age. Maybe a bit of arthritis setting in. Fingers just not as nimble as they once were.
That being said, when Johnny put that slide on his finger he played flawlessly. He left the stage and came back for two encores. Brought with him an old Gibson Explorer for the slide. He didn't have to. I'm sure most of us there would have been happy that he gave what he did. But, out of true showmanship he came back to play just a couple more songs.
"This'll be our last song" He says. " I'm not 62 anymore".
Close your eyes and you'd never know he was a day over 30. His voice is strong and his chops are still good.
It was nice also to see some Dads bringing their kids along to see a REAL band play. If you're young or if you've got kids, go see this show or any show for that matter that involves MUSICIANS. Parents need to educate their kids about dedication to an art form. Not picking up a record player and a "mixer", using some pirated software to make some "beats".
Music is a communal thing. There are participants that, when they are good, can create something never to be heard again. And, it can be different time and time again. Not some hack standing in front of a computer clicking play and "Scratching" records.
I'm so glad I was able to see him play. I'll probably never have that chance again.
Thanks for a great show Johnny. You gave more than you needed to. May you live long. See you in the real life.
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