“I’m so grateful to still be playing after 50 years”. Bonnie Raitt‘s words describe both her own humility and her musical longevity. This humble lady has played and sung with just about every musical legend of those last 50 years: Roy Orbison, Prince, John Lee Hooker to name just three. Her impact on women in music is also huge and she was the first lady to have a signature guitar made by Fender. Tonight though Bonnie is just glad to be on tour as she says soon after taking the Kunstrasen stage: “Thank you for taking us away from America”. They were the opening words of a magically memorable set that crowned an evening of superlative Bluesrock with guest support from Henrik Freischlader and Warren Haynes.
The evening’s opening slot was given to Henrik Freischlader. I rather felt sorry for the sympathetic Wuppertalian. With a starting time of 5.15 pm the first arrivals were still coming through the Kunstrasen gates when his excellent set kicked off. Travelling light, with just a simple trio formation, meant that the sound was less rock band and more jazz ensemble at times. ‘Free’ is a great number for getting an audience to loosen up with it’s funky beat. We Henrik fans know it’s a great number for jazzy keyboard accompaniment (check it out online with the late great Moritz ‘Mo’ Furhop). It also gave Henrik and his band (Rene Pütz bass and Leon Mucke drums) a chance to get into their musical swing.
Most of us discovered Henrik through his early Blues releases, so it was great to hear ‘Disappointed woman Blues’ written, says a grinning Henrik, “when I was all of 16 years old!”. The Henrik onstage now is of course older and wiser (and wearing spectacles as if to prove it). He has never been afraid to chance his musical course though and his current style is a very much refined jazzrock as shown on the aptly titled ‘New Beginning’ from the ‘Missing Pieces’ LP. Just in case you thought age and sophistication had ironed out those rough edges though, there is a closing ‘I Got it Made Like This’ with some trademark Freischlader shredding on a Les Paul that looks to be a close brother of ‘Greenie’ that famous Les Paul axe passed on from Peter Green to Gary Moore many moons ago. Good to hear that their musical inspirations live on in the fingers of Henrik Freischlader.
Oddly enough when Warren Haynes picks up his guitar to play at 6:15 pm it looks like the same guitar. If it is, it’s one of several that Warren has at his disposal this evening – most of them Gibson Les Paul’s. At one stage he announces he’s switching to a new guitar with emphasis on the ‘new’ like a father proudly announcing the arrival of a new member of the family. There’s no doubting he deserves the addition to his family though. Haynes is one of those guitarists revered by other guitarists as much as by music fans. His reputation was built during a stint with the Allman Brothers whom he left (along with Derek Trucks) in 2014. Haynes’s own music with the group Gov’t Mule hasn’t quite achieved the status of the latters ‘Tedeschi Trucks Band’ but make no mistake, Warren Haynes is up there with the best.
Haynes is indeed, as his opener indicates, very much a ‘Man in Motion’ with his smoothe brand of Southern Rock. He writes excellent songs, but they always seem to primarily be lead-ups to the moment when he leans away from the microphone and unleashes one immaculately executed solo after another in song after song. I notice that when other band members are soloing Haynes himself is almost always tweaking his guitar strings with eyebrows raised so high that you’d think he was adjusting a dimestore no-name guitar with unplayably high fret action and rubber bands for strings. Almost as if he’s willing Greg Osby to continue continuing his sax solos because something is terribly wrong with this Les Paul! And then – always a blinding, tasteful guitar solo perfectly played.
I should (must!) mention the Band. Osby’s addition added an extra texture that for much of the set was too far back in the mix for my liking. I would love to have heard it louder and ‘saxier’ especially during Osby’s solo on ‘Power and the Glory‘. John Medeski on keys seemed almost to be an extension of Hayne’s playing – the two embelishing each others music perfectly. The warm Hammond sound gave an extra depth that Henrik earlier was missing. His playing on ‘Invisible’ was a joy. What can I say about bassist Kevin Scott? If he stepped onto a stage with Billy Gibbons people would think Dusty Hill was back from the dead. It wasn’t just the beard, it was the power and attitude of the Man. He finger-picked the groove with such an authority that insisted – here’s the rhythm – follow it!
The whole band shone on Greg Allman’s ‘Just Another Rider’ which had the audience clapping and singing along to the chorus. Loud applause greeted the closing ‘Soulshine’. On another stage, as a main band, this would have run and run, but at Kunstrasen and with Bonnie Raitt still to come – well, time waits for no man, nor music. Loud applause for Warren and his fellow musicians. Time for the Main Event…
8:15 sharp sees the legendary Bonnie Raitt step onto the Kunstrasen stage in front of a Turneresque stage backdrop. Raitt’s long curly hair with a bleached ‘kiss-curl’ at the front hasn’t changed in decades. Neither has her lean figure. Dressed in a simple blue blouse with alligator scale pattern and plain black trousers she picks up ‘Brownie’ her constant companion 1969 Fender Stratocaster and steps up to the mike as if she has nothing to prove – which indeed she hasn’t. It’s great to be here, and not in America, she says – immediately keen to nail her political colours to the mast for the first, but not the last time, this evening.
‘Sure Do’ gets the band warmed up nicely, and has the audience confident they are in safe musical hands from here on in. There will be lots of songs in memory of musicians whom Bonnie Raitt has met along her musical way. The first is Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Right Down The Line’. Raitt’s voice is loud and clear, something a good many musicians could learn from. I can make out the lyrics without effort. Like her playing, the singing seems so simple and effortless. This lady is over 70, but you wouldn’t know it from her sound and her energy. John Hiatt’s ‘Thing Called Love’ bounces along and ends with Raitt swinging her hip to bring the band to it’s close like she was fifty years younger.
There is frequent between songs banter. Raitt switches to a Guild accoustic and sits down to play Sippie Wallace’s ‘Women be Wise‘. She recounts hearing the iconic Wallace when she (Raitt) was just starting out and was thrilled to discover that Wallace at that time was old but alive and on tour again. The two even got to tour together. Special Guest New Orleans keyboardplayer Jon Cleary’s rolling keyboard sound added to the richness of this number and Cary was a welcome and more than able guest throughout the evening.
Another instrument switch; this time from guitar to electric piano to sing one of her most successful numbers ‘Nick of Time’, written, she confessed, “When I was worried about turning 40 and felt like I was running out of time”. With a laugh she adds “Seems so funny now…!”. John Prine is referenced on a couple of occasions and of course his ‘Angel From Montgomery’ is one of those songs that it’s unthinkable to see Bonnie Raitt in concert not doing. Prine was the master of capturing great emotion without seeming effected. Raitt’s interpretation of the woman stuck in a ‘dead end’ life is sung with a clear and resonant voice that also manages to contain great emotion on lines like:
‘How the hell can a person
Go to work in the mornin’
And come home in the evenin’
And have nothin’ to say?’
She also finds the core of emotion in ‘Just Like That’, and it’s a deep core for sure. The tale of a woman whose son is killed in an accident and, years later, is visited by the recipient of his heart:
‘I lay my head upon his chest
And I was with my boy again
I spent so long in darkness
Never thought the night would end
But somehow grace has found me
And I had to let him in‘
Simple yet powerful songs, simply yet powerfully sung.
Before we know it we are into the encores. ‘I can’t make you love me’ is a fine ballad and beautifully sung this evening with minimum backing. “I’m not letting you leave tonight feeling that sad!” she laughs afterwards and the tempo steps up to a funky ‘Love Letter’. The evening comes to a close with a rocking ‘Never Make a Move To Soon‘ aided by Jon Cleary and also joined on guitar by Warren Haynes.
A magical musical carpet ride of an evening! In front of an audience numbering 1600 in a venue that can hold 9000+. Bonnie Raitt spoke warmly of the ‘wonderful venue and the wonderful view’. It’s a shame that more people in the area don’t seem to share her enthusiasm. To those who are reading this and weren’t there but could have been – you missed an evening to still remember in ten years time. To those who were there – you will know!
