Sounds Good: Buddy Guy@Knuckleheads, Roger Daltrey@Midland, Brett Dennen & Blind Pilot@Beaumont

After I sort of panned the Michael McDonald/ Boz Scaggs show last week, some commenters suggested I was perhaps an ageist. 

But I like what I like.  Which does include some old guy stuff like wide brimmed hats, bocce ball, and Buick LeSabres.

And as if that weren’t enough, look at this week’s lineup!  

So stand down, good sirs, stand down…

Thursday, October 13th

Buddy Guy at Knuckleheads in KC

What can I say about Buddy Guy?  Well, he’s a living legend for one.  He’s an electric guitar pioneer.  And he’s playing at a small-ish blues club, not some opera house or something, so I suggest you go.  You don’t have to take it from me, though, here’s what some other people have said about the man.

Eric Clapton: “Buddy Guy is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive…if you see him in person, the way he plays is beyond anyone. Total freedom of spirit, I guess.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan: “Buddy just has this cool feel to everything he does. And when he sings, it’s just compounded. Girls fall over and sweat and die! Every once in a while I get the chance to play with Buddy, and he gets me every time, because we could try to go to Mars on guitars but then he’ll start singing, sing a couple of lines, and then stick the mike in front of me! What are you gonna do? What is a person gonna do?!”

Jimmy Page: “Buddy Guy is an absolute monster.”

Enough said. 

Friday, October 14th

Roger Daltrey at the Midland by AMC in KC

For this go around, Daltrey is performing The Who’s epic album Tommy in its entirety.  But it doesn’t stop there.  After that he and his band will roll through a bunch of other favorites, as well as (possibly) a Johnny Cash medley that they’ve been busting out lately. 

Reviews of the last few shows have been very enthusiastic, with high praise going to Daltrey’s band which consists of guitarists Frank Simes and Simon Townshed (Pete’s little brother), Loren Gold on synth, Joe Button on bass, and Scott Devours on drums.  Nothing, not even some black magic, can bring back Entwistle or Moon, and Pete is practically deaf at this point. 

But this looks to be the next best thing, and it feels like an authentic rock show swinging through town, rather than some over the hill act that can’t quite do it anymore looking to cash in on the nostalgia crowd.

Here’s the set list from October 8th at the Peabody Opera House in St. Louis:
Overture
It’s A Boy
1921
Amazing Journey
1921
Sparks
Eyesight to the Blind
Christmas
Cousin Kevin
The Acid Queen
Underture
Do You Think It’s Alright?
Fiddle About
Pinball Wizard
There’s a Doctor
Go to the Mirror
Tommy Can You Hear Me
Smash The Mirror
Sensation
Miracle Cure
Sally Simpson
I’m Free
Welcome
Tommy’s Holiday Camp
We’re Not Gonna Take It
I Can See For Miles
The Kids Are Alright
Behind Blue Eyes
Pictures of Lily
Days of Light
Gimme a Stone
Going Mobile
Johnny Cash Medley
Who Are You
My Generation
Young Man Blues
Water
Baba O’Riley
Without Your Love
Red Blue and Grey

Brett Dennen and Blind Pilot at the Beaumont in KC

Brett Dennen is a California kid who writes easy going folk pop songs.  He’s toured with the likes of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and Dave Matthews, if that tells you a little bit about the vibe.  His latest album, Loverboy, was released in early 2011, and was described by Allmusic‘s Steve Leggett:

"His songs feature long-lined melodies that unfold in a Bob Dylan-like rush of words and clever rhymes, often laid over subtle African pop rhythms that make him sound a bit like an even more mellowed-out Dave Matthews. He tackles big subjects like love and death and pain, but somehow manages to sound sunny and hopeful the whole way through."

Blind Pilot is from Portland, and their sound is a little more Americana/folksy than Dennen’s. They rolled through Lawrence a couple months ago, and put on a great show at the Bottleneck.  After that show I wrote: 

"The first thing that really jumped out at me was the three part harmonies on nearly every song.  Nice.  That and the very quiet yet tasteful song arrangements.   

For example, there was a squeeze box type thing on several songs that was just barely audible as an echo, making the listener strain a bit to really hear what was going on, forcing a kind of attention that more "out front" sounding acts can never seem to command. 

Same type thing in another song when one of the band members picked up a trumpet just to add that particular tone to the chords.  And same with the keyboard that just emanated a ghostly, soft sound that was almost easier to feel than hear."