Performing the whole of ‘Slow Turning’ that has slowly turned to being thirty years old with the same band that made it and toured it back in 1988. It’s the three original amigos tonight and we were all there back in 88 at the Dominion theatre to see them.
John Hiatt is simply a song writing legend and produced two of the finest albums ever made with ‘Bring the Family’ and its follow up ‘Slow Turning’. These albums had a profound effect on this then twenty one year old at the time and opened these ears to a whole other area of music at the time.
Back to tonight it’s a an early start and it’s a low key entrance of the band but as soon as the first chord of ‘Drive South’ kicks in we are transported back to 88. With arguably one of the best slide guitarists in the world ‘Sonny Landreth’ in the band he is quickly in the groove and we spend the next hour or so singing to every word of each great track.
There a brief interruption to the albums running order with a stripped down funky version of ‘Tiki bar is open’ plus another great working of ‘Riding with the King’.
Hiatt fills in between the songs with great stories and great humour commenting that he has spent the past thirty years in beat up buses touring the world, etc. character building and feels his character has been built enough now to enjoy a slightly more comfortable life.
With the album despatched we have a superb encore starting with a Landreth solo track ‘Congo Square’ that highlights his superior guitar talents plus two of the finest songs taken from Bring the Family, the emotional ‘Have a little Faith in Me’ that I don’t mind admitting brought a tear or two to the eye and ending the night perfectly with the hit ‘Thing called Love’
Tonight was faultless, a superb band, superb songs, old friends who for at least a couple of hours were twenty somethings again singing, shouting and dancing to the tracks of their youth. Thanks Mt Hiatt for the music and thank you Mr Berry and Mr Cade for your friendship and your gig going company for the past thirty years. Here’s to another thirty more where I am confident we will break the one thousand gig mark.
Keep on rockin y’all