Johnny/Edgar Winter review

[hbrocks]

Scratched another item off my Bucket list.
And MAN, is it just me or does anyone else have a ringing in their ears this morning?....(smile)

Anaheim, CA
Rockin Blues Fest
1700 seat The Grove at Anaheim
Johnny/Edgar Winter with Rick Derringer, Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown) and Leslie West.

Leslie West was scratched due to some health issues (if you're not aware, Leslie is diabetic).

Show Opened with Kim Simmonds sporting an amazing White Flying V Gibson.
Running around the stage with HIGH energy, did some instrumental I wasn't familar with ....but he then segued right into the very popular "Louisiana Blues"
-"Porter"
-"Tell Momma"
-"Savoy Brown Boogie"

Rick Derringer came out next looking really good.
Interestingly... using the same back up band stayed on stage up thru Edgar Winter. (amazing guitarist Doug Rappaport, This guy should have his own band...crazy amazing. Jason Carpenter on Drums was incredible, and some dude playing bass was good).
Rick is apparently a born-again Christian! (not knocking it, just saying)
Because when he opened with:
-Still Alive and Well...he changed some lyrics to say "Jesus was his savior" .....can you say "Awkward"?

However, he did redeem himself with his very very likeable stage presence and his little background stories about some of his songs.
Especially when he went into
"Hang on Sloopy" and the stories behind this being the state song of Ohio.
Yes,,,he did "Rock and Roll Hoochie coo" (sounded incredible)

Next up Edgar Winter
In my opinion....THIS WAS THE STAR OF THE NIGHT!
Frankenstein was amazing...his shoulder keyboard/synth shook the walls.

Very interesting looking dude...Almost Dorkie in the way he moves around on stage!
BUT his talent/Vocal ....... AMAZING...Genius...prodigy!
When he and the band did the 20 min TOBACCO ROAD....IT BLEW MY MIND!
here's a video from earlier show...2 parts it's so long!
This video has the Same Lead Guitar player mentioned earlier..Doug Rappaport!
(ps the end of the part II video he goes into the campy song "shout", he did not do this at last nights show).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpUrLQKZ_0Y&feature=player_embedded
PartII
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtGCqRAFZZc&feature=plcp


Johnny came out next ....
With his own band which did one introduction song before they physically helped Johnny to his chair.
Man Johnny sure looks fortunate to be alive. Frail to say the least.
He played Very well....but seems they had the rest of the band almost drowning him out a bit.
Set list (best I can remember).....
-Johnny B Goode
-It's all over now
-mean town blues
-Black Jack
-Jumpin Jack Flash (with Edgar, RD and Kim Simmonds)
-Got my mojo workin
Encore
-Dust My Broom
-highway 61


Fantastic Show....!
GO SEE HIM BEFORE YOU NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE!

 

[thomo57]

Love it, great stuff mate.:thmbsp:
Have always loved Johnny and Edgar.
Have a signed framed photo of Johnny I picked up in Sydney.:thmbsp:

 

[tdat7192]

Saw them Sunday night in Westchester County Center, NY. It was a show where they all came out with their A-game! Each performance was spectacular.

Kim Simmonds came out with that Flying A and took off. He jammed for quite awhile in his 2nd and 3rd songs. Played harmonica a bit and switched guitars for the last song. Tons of energy and motion going on there. (Edgar's band backup.) Talked a bit with the audience about his headwear. Great performance!

Leslie West came out and had tons of fun. He had did at least a 15-20 minute of Nantucket Sleighride and of course finished with Mississippi Queen on his new Mississppi Queen special edition guitar. His bass player, Rev Jones, is one wild man. He spins, leaps and goes wild while playing his 6 string beast of a bass. At some points he puts the butt of the guitar against his body, grabs the kneck in one hand and the top point of the base body with the other hand and bends the bass. He can bend it nearly an octave that way. Who needs a whammy bar? At one point Leslie waves him over and they go back and forth a bit and ... well it was heart warming to see for those that remember that sort of thing. Leslie was his amazing self! Great performance!

Rick Derringer came up next and did lots of talking, not too much but very engaging. Started with Still Alive and Well. Then a tribute to our service(wo)men. He played the Star Spangled Banner and it was great. Enough improv to make it fun and interesting, but didn't get lost. He played with Edgar's band and I don't think Doug was expecting this, because he kept leaning over to see what the heck Rick was doing with his hands. After a fun tale, he went into Real American. His last two songs were Hang On Sloopy and Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo. Another great performance!

Then Edgar... Wow! He had one hell of a ton of energy and he had fun with each and every one of his band members, especially during 20-30 minute Tobacco Road. His Frankenstein was a rocker where he ran around playing keys, keys on a string, sax, drums. Rick came out and joined him for Free Ride. Another Great performance!

Johnny came out with a stick for a guitar. Again, like seemingly forever, he gets this grin on his face and his body is pretty immobile and his hands are a blur. And while his hands are a blur, he still makes it look easy. Similar song set to above. Edgar climbed into the second drum kit and played along with the drummer on Gimme Shelter. Edgar (sax), Rick and Kim joined Johnny for Jumping Jack Flash. Each got their turn and it looked like genuine fun. Johnny stuck with the music and was a man of few words. But when your music is that good, it works. Oddly enough another great performance.

Each band came out to have fun and play hard. They did that and more. Each performance had a fair bit of jamming and it worked!

A special thanks to Edgar's band: Doug Rappoport, Koko Powell, and Jason Carpenter for accompanying not only Edgar, but Kim and Rick as well. Oh hbrocks is right about Doug. But frankly the 3 of them are great.

 

[Buzzcut]

From back in the day....

Virginia Beach Dome, not sure what year, guessing 70 - 72?

Got a couple more if I can find them.

 

[Mystic]

Sweet Jesus, I have never seen a pic of JW using an original Korina V. Thanks for posting this shot, Buzzcut. :thmbsp:

 

[Buzzcut]

Sure, happy to share. I hate to see these pics turn yellow with age and unappreciated by anyone besides myself.

Here's a closeup with the V. Looks almost angelic. In the second shot behind Derringer, ehhhhh, not so much.

 

[grillebilly]

fantastic pics. JW was at his prime IMO during those early years. Check him out wailing behind Derringer, just some very cool stuff.

 

[hbrocks]

awesome pictures.....
Thanks for shaing.

 

[Mystic]

These pix must have been snapped during the Johnny Winter And era. Incredible. I am not sure there is a published pic of JDW3rd, on stage, with an original V in play. If there is I have somehow managed, after having examined countelss examples of album art, Creem, Crawdaddy, and Circus mags (or the dreadful Rolling Stone), and countless photos posted at "old guy" vintage guitar oriented forums, to miss them all. Birds, Strats, SGs, Nationals, even the odd Lester, but never a V. I wonder if it was even his instrument, or just trying it out on a lark? Maybe it belonged to Rick D.? (I've never see a pic of RD playing a V, either)

Thanks again, esp. for the additional shot of Derringer.

 

[Mystic]

And (finally):

Excellent reviews of the performances you attended, hbrocks and tdat. :thmbsp:

 

[Buzzcut]

I've got one more pic of Johnny (with the V) and Rick facing each other and playing. I'll try and get it scanned in the next few days.

And yes, to be sure, thanks for taking the time to post the reviews. In my college days, I about wore out the grooves on my copy of Entrance, still pull it out from time to time.

 

[jimfet]

Love em all and seen them all, but West. But I sure wanted too. Allready had those Edgar vids in my favorites.

 

[tdat7192]

Buzzcut, thank you for those most excellent pics! Wow... I wish I had a camera when I saw Johnny/Edgar play together just before They Only Come Out At Night came out. It was a great show. jimfet, go see Leslie! It's worth it!

 

[Mystic]

I've got one more pic of Johnny (with the V) and Rick facing each other and playing. I'll try and get it scanned in the next few days.

Please (please!) do & thanks in advance!

 

[Buzzcut]

OK, here's that last pic of Johnny and Derringer playing. That's all I have from that concert.

Now, I've included a pic of Hendrix on that same stage and here's what I think is enlightening. These were both headline acts, concerts advertised all over the radio, and this was the biggest/best concert venue in the area at the time. Check out the size of the stage, and what constituted a killer stack at that point in time. These guys entertained us with sheer talent, and did a damn fine job of it. And I bet that if they even got M & M's in their dressing rooms, no one had to sift through them to remove undesirable colors. Just sayin, lol.

 

[nowinconcert]

Thank you for pictures

As a person who has been to hundreds of live shows and took pictures once, I really appreciate thoose shots. Seen johnny at the backstage in Ballard neighborhood of Seattle WA. early 90's: great performance. Seen Edgar last year in Ringo's Allstar Band. Edgar is great musician and performer in his own right.

 

[Buzzcut]

Glad you appreciate them, like I said, I hate the thought of them yellowing with age in obscurity.

I saw Edgar around that same time, I was heavily into him. Weird concert from what I recall though. It was in a college basketball venue, so it was like a big frat party. And the opening act? Don McLean playing solo. Although I think McLean's Vincent is one of the greatest songs written, that was just poor planning on his manager's part. He got heckled. It was a college crowd, under the influence of whatever was handy, and they wanted to rock.