Random observations on an amazing show:
RT displays a decided schizophrenia [sp.?] in approaching acoustic/electric guitar. He's much more 'traditional' on acoustic, and shows a really well focused tribute to the jazz music he likely heard on the radio as a kid. He plays a lot of Les Paul sounding licks on the big box. Funny how the Brit. players of his era picked up on Les. I'm thinking Beck, of course, and even M. Knopfler a bit. Electric's a whole 'nother thing. He abvsolutely eschews anything that has to do with the blues scale. For somebody like me who's grown old [not up] thrashing the same old blues box, it's like hearing another whole instrument--like, "is it okay to play this stuff on the same axe?"
But the folks who don't think RT plays the blues are wrong. He just plays it backwards. I know this, 'cause I listened to Albert King's 'Wednesday Night in San Francisco' on the tape deck driving to the show. And king Albert's horrifics bends were reproduced by RT, except in mirror image, at the end of PITP. I thought RT was gonna levitate, or at least change the molecular structure of the Ferrington's neck just by squeezing it so hard. But the tortured wails coming from that guitar were definitely blues, just from another dimension, or maybe another planet...
It was kind of a gas to see so many other old fucks at a concert. Too bad it looked so much like a PTA meeting. I'd wager that 90 per cent of the crowd were teachers or [shudder] librarians. L.L. Bean could retire on the revenue generated by that crowd alone. Quite a change from the shows I usually see, and for many reasons quite refreshing. For one, they were all so damned well-behaved! Narry an altercation the entire time. And how remarkable to see so many women without big hair, heavy makeup, tarty clothes, tattoos etc. I'd be proud to have any of them, men and women alike, grade my papers. There were a couple of shouts from the crowd in the main floor, but RT showed no anger, so I take it they weren't too rude. And I suspect he rather liked the crowd for he played well over two hours. Oh, the librarians...well they were easy to differentiate by the curious posture of the males, which upon closer inspection appeared to be due to, oh well, you know, certain physical endowments...
He really seemed to like the crowd and the venue. It's a beautiful old theatre that I'd guess is depression-era. I was at the back of the balcony and could see every expression on his face. He remarked about the beauty of the concert hall, and I can only assume he dug the crowd by the fact that he played a good long show. DT seemed to be a crowd favorite, esp. cracking them up during the banter before 'Hamlet.' Those guys could make a go of it as actors, for I knew a lot of the jokes were coming, but they didn't seem stale. And he ad- libbed quite a few new jokes as well. I couldn't hear his asides very well, but the intro to PITP drew lots of laughs, esp. when he suggested that eh crowd knew the man he was talking about. He had a great line when, after a bunch of electric stuff, he picked up the Lowden as the band departed. RT said that they were only good for a few songs, and that 'after about a half-hour, they're wrecked!' He did a great ad-lib to VBL, when he came to the line about 'Nortons and Greaves...' where he added the names of several other marques of bikes, chiefly Brit., including 'Triumphs' and 'Enfields.' The crowd like it a lot. [Aside to UK fans: how many Brit. bike makers are still in business?] One embarrassing spot came during Jimmy Shands. The crowd downstairs was enthusiastically singing along on the chorus, and RT, said, 'now this time, the balcony,' and nobody said a word!...
to be concluded...
Ted Jackson jr.