QUOTE: ‘THE MAGICAL, UNIQUE FINGERS OF THE SLIDEMASTER HAS GUITARFANS TRANSFIXED!’ Dear Sonny Landreth-fans, here’s my review of the European tour 20011 of the Master of Slide. At the “Sonny Landreth Specals YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/WilliamMusicEater you are able to see ALL the video-impressions of his performances on his European tour 2011 through The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. His tour closed on the 1st of July at the LIRI Blues festival, his second performance, in Italy.
My review At the beginning of this year I got a note from Sjef van Rock N Roots tour-agency ( www.rock-‘n-roots.nl ) who told me to keep an eye on the web-side of DE KADE (www.kade.nl )..
I knew enough! Because, when Sjef writes this to me……then Mr Sonny Landreth is making a move to a performance in Holland! Just like last year during the Rock Guitar Night (Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam October 2010) where he performed with Joe Satriani and Davy Knowles.
And YES….just as Sonny promised me in 2009 on the Highlands festival:”Willam….we will be coming back on a regular base…” he kept his promise! 2010 – Guitar Night Amsterdam and this year again.
He even did two gigs in The Netherlands! One in a club at DE KADE in Zaandam and another the always great festival Ribs and Blues in Raalte.
Dates were noted! Now, you can think, two times to the same artist? YES! After his performances on the bigger events: The Highlands Festival in Amersfoort and The Guitar Night in Amsterdam in 2009 and 2010, I never saw him play in the more intimate atmosphere in a smaller club like DE KADE in Zaandam. Nicely close to stage, so I was able to admire his genius guitar-play! Naturally was also the gig Ribs and Blues in Raalte noted in my agenda!
Just like in 2009, the European Tour 2011 started in Germany in the Bluesgarage, Hannover.
Of course, fans of Sonny have made a beautiful video of his performance of June 9th @ Bluesgarage, see Video.
Quote of this performance: " Was soll man lange sagen, die Championgs-League war in der Bluesgarage, somit war der Gig einfach grandios. Landreth gehört zu den ganz grossen dieser Zunft und somit wurde wieder ein Highlight geliefert... "~Ulrich
SONNY LANDRETH@BLUESGARAGE , HANNOVER
Very promissing!…
CONCERTS In The Netherlands June 10th: Concert DE KADE, Zaandam www.dekade.nl Finally it was the 10th of June. To Zaandam by train, where Bouwe, another big fan, should be waiting for me. At arrival on CS I took some time to admire the Intell Hotel with it’s typical ‘Zaanse-huisjes’- style. My music-buddy Bouwe met me there. There was enough time before finding a nice place to eat something, so we first found out where DE KADE was located.
To our big surprise, we saw Mr Sonny Landreth with bass-man Dave Ranson coming out of DE KADE, walking towards their tour-bus. Of cause we have had a little chat with them. And welcomed him to the Netherlands. He informed us that the performance in Bluesgarage was a great …’kick-off’… for his European Tour 2011 he was very satisfied about it. After wishing them success with their 2 concert on Dutch grounds and telling him that I would be there both times, the Slide-master smiled and said: …William, always good to see me twice..! Then they left for their hotel/restaurant.
So did we! After my wife also settled on our table and we enjoyed a great meal, we left for DE KADE.
At 21.15 the moment was there. After we’d found ourselves a place in front of the stage the Surpreme Slide Master Sonny with Dave on bass and Brian on drums appeared.
Sonny is not a man of many words. He let his guitar do the talking. So, after a short welcoming word towards the audience they started with a heavy opening song: Z-Rider
It was great to see his phenomenal (slide-)guitar techniques from so close.
Someone in the audience very properly said: ” Je have to have seen Sonny Landreth, instead of only hearing him. You should absolutely SEE his guitar play and techniques”.
It’s not his singing voice that keeps a grip on you. Actually, as a guitar lover, you come to hear and see the Master’s genius (slide) guitar play .
Unique!! It looks so simple to see how he plays the strings. But inimitable! Everything seems to go so smooth and easy. I closed my eyes and for a moment I thought I was present at the life performance of his album “Grandstreet” from 2005. THE life CD that every lover of this Slide Master should have Enjoyable time! QUOTE: ‘THE MAGICAL, UNIQUE FINGERS OF THE SLIDE MASTER HAD GUITAR FANS TRANSFIXED!’
The opener ‘Z Rider’ was followed by: ‘Native Stepson’, ‘The Milky Way Home’, The Promise Land’, but also 2 tracks of the new album: ‘Reckless’, and ‘Brave new Girl’. Further, a fine Landreth-version of the well-known ‘Key To The Highway’, the super fast, instrumental ‘Uberesso’. (it was a pity…for this track you should stand a little further away from the stage to to hear the life version more perfect)
With his buddy bass-man Dave Ranson (friends since they were 13) and drummer Brian Brignac they continued as a well-oiled machine with songs as: ‘Hell At Home’(pityfull without his admirer Eric Clapton LOL), ‘USS Zydeco Mobile’, Blue Tarp Blues’, All About You’, Gone Pecon’.
Back To Bayou Teche A highlight for me was: a fantastic version of: ‘Back To Bayou Teche’.! (see Video-Box) Lovely swampy Cayun/Zydeco Blues! It’s true: Sonny is the King of the SLYDECO Or…as somebody about this video take wrote: “Sonny’s solo at at 2:44 - 6:20 makes time stand still-- Picture yourself floating done Bayou Teche under a moonlit night in your pirougue and listening to all the sounds of the swamp "
It was another great performance of the Slide Master. Loved it! Maybe the only, one little disappointment to me was that he, again, didn’t play the monumental song ‘Congo Square’. A song that he obviously seldom plays.
With the ‘encore’ ‘Pedal To Metal’ the first Dutch performance was ended.
It was a shame that I couldn’t stay longer after the show but I had to hurry to catch the train on time.
And…on my way to the second show. This time on the festival Ribs and Blues, Raalte, 2 days later, in the large tent (main-stage)
13 June 2011: Concert Ribs and Blues, Raalte Netherlandswww.ribsenblues.nl After a show on the 11th at ‘DE ZWERVER’, Belgium, on the 12th at the Grolsch Blues Festival in Schoepingen, Germany (review on www.bluesmagazine... ) the second performance in Holland took place on the 13th on the Ribs and Blues festival, Raalte. A busy tour-scheme!! A show in a big tent (main-stage) has it’s charms but it is also a handicap for the sound. It was not as good as it was at the venue ‘DE KADE” where the attunement was much better. Besides that, my experience from last time has learned me not to stand too close to the stage. SONNY LANDRETH@RIBS & BLUES – OPENER ..’Z RIDER’
As far as I’d understood, Sonny, being a perfectionist in sound himself, was also not happy with it and he made known about it after the show.
Well..if you apparently have a sound-system that is good enough for festivals like ‘BIG Festivals Pinkpop’ and you use that Onlly in a tent….!?
But…as someone said about Sonny’s performance: “Behind the stage it was almost perfect”!
So, standing a bit further away from the stage I absolutely enjoyed it again and was the sound oké!
As an Englishman, who stood beside me said: “He is a genius Guitar Player!” (Sonny left England behind this time)..
Sonny played the same playlist as he did in ‘DE KADE”, but he changed order of the songs after his opening with ‘Z Rider’ .
It was a great experience to see Sonny playing life 2 times short after each other on 2 different locations. In a club and after Highlands in 2009 again at a big festival as Ribs & Blues. The intimate atmosphere in a Club (close to the stage with great sound) and the atmosphere on a big festival (where the sound unfortunately was not good)
Continuation European Tour 2011: Switzerland and Italy
After the show on ‘Ribs & Blues’, the band continued with another show in a Club on the 14th of June 2011 @ ‘SPIRIT OF 66’, Verviers, Belgium www.spiritof66.com (see slideshow). After that they took a little break, that the guys really needed with this busy scheme, (Sonny told already on the Grolsch Festival that he was tired) the Tour went on to have a show on the 25th of June in Switzerland and it ended on the 1st of July in Italy.
Unfortunately for the Italian fans, the show on 29th of June @ Soiano Blues Festival was canceled, due to thunderstorms and rain. The other 2 shows in Italy: @ Festival Blues Piacenza & the LIRI BLUES Festival went on. (see the life impressions in the Video-Box)
With the concert on the LIRI BLUES Festival, Isola del Liri www.liriblues.it the European Tour was ended.
At the “Sonny Landreth Specals YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/WilliamMusicEater you are able to see ALL the video-impressions of his performances on his European tour 2011 through The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. With LIVE impressions of:
Sonny Landreth
Review on Sonny Landreth Europe Tour 2011-07-16