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In a night spent reminiscing about the past and bringing in the new, the “All Over Blues” fest took the stage at the Maine Center for the Arts Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. The show brought together the old and the young, The Muddy Waters Tribute Band and Chris Thomas King, encompassing diversity while at the same time celebrating one style: the blues.
The crowd was also diverse. Consisting of parents, grandparents and college students of both sexes, the show proved to be a family affair and the perfect event to ring in the coming holiday season.
Composed of vintage blues players, The Muddy Waters Tribute Band was the first to take the stage, bringing the once-empty set of mics to life and splashing a red and blue ambiance onto the stage from the spotlights that shown above.
The tribute band, consisting of blues legends Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Calvin “Fuzz” Jones, Jerry Portnoy and “Steady Rollin” Bob Margolin, wasted no time in getting started.
“Everybody on this stage is a veteran,” Portnoy said before opening the set with a ripping harmonica solo.
As each band member was introduced, each respectively led two to three songs, which focused on their individual talents, while at the same time letting each member shine. Their stage appearance was nothing short of brilliant; their inhabitance in the large auditorium seemed to transform it, giving the air of a small Chicago blues club. The audience was wowed by the amazing solo talent of the harmonica, guitars and crisp vocals of these five old men. Through their actions on the stage they looked and played as if they were brothers. It was an extremely powerful presence that showed dignity, and demanded respect.
Throughout the night the men played their own original songs, and classic Muddy Waters, such as “Got my Mojo Working” and “Hoochie Coochie Man.” The set was finished off with a standing ovation, an encore and a touching goodbye as hugs were exchanged on stage, the show marking the finale of their tour.
After a brief intermission Chris Thomas King ripped into his routine, surprising many audience members with an in your face hip-hop beat, proclaiming it as “21st century blues.”
“This is the 21st century blues and I don’t give a damn if you can’t get with me,” proclaimed King as audience members left during the beginning of his set. “We shouldn’t be ashamed of the generation we are from, and we can be just as innovative as the generations before.”
King, who has produced nine albums and more than 100 songs, has been a pioneer in blues, entering frontiers no one ever dreamed, while at the same time staying true to the roots of blues. King’s eclectic set showed a treasure of originality and talent and deserved the same utmost respect of any other blues act of the evening.
King played on, ignoring the scene that he was probably far too used to – his style not being appreciated by many blues fans. King concentrated on the remaining members of the crowd, playing many old fashioned blues from the soundtrack of “Oh Brother Where Art Thou,” a film in which he starred as Tommy Johnson and appeared on the soundtrack. He also showed his modern influence, electrifying an old blues guitar solo, playing behind is back, under his leg and even with his teeth.
Again showing his roots, King grabbed a steel guitar from the rack behind him and began to tell stories. With each song there was a story to tell, and he told it with knowledge as the resonation of the steel echoed through the large room. King finished off the night sampling a Muddy Waters song. For the audience that stayed, King was as moving as the group before him, as he received the second standing ovation of the evening.
As each remaining audience member exited the auditorium, it was easy to see through the looks on their faces why blues is such a strong influential force in music today.
Bangor Daily News