Eric Bibb opened with a one-hour set and he was sensational. His blues guitars (all 3 of them) sounded great and with Grant Dermody on blues harp, it was over-the-top superb! Great voice and guitar work did more than justice to contemporary and traditional blues pieces, including a couple by John Hurt and Dave Van Ronk.
Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad, one of my favorites to play and sing, was as good as I've ever heard it done. I could have come home at the break and been a happy camper. But we stayed in our great seats for Ruthie Foster.
Now, Ruthie Foster has a great voice and her guitar work is fantastic, but IMHO, she could leave the keyboardist and the drummer at home next time. She did some great numbers but as soon as the keyboards or the drums kicked in, you could barely hear her guitar or her voice.
While I can appreciate the talent that goes into mastering the techniques, etc., of these instruments, I want to hear my guitars and vocals. I'm just sayin'.......
To paraphrase J Cash, Don't take your drums to town son, leave your drums at home.....
In all, a great concert, and if you get a chance to see/hear Eric Bibb, do it! He's been immersed in music all his life and it shows!!
And I'd love to hear Ruthie Foster with just her guitar (even though it's a Taylor) and her voice. That would be super, indeed. 8)
Cheers,
Joe