It’s a safe bet no sounds so dirty as the unholy blues of The North Mississippi Allstars had ever echoed around the antiseptic expanse of the Foeger Ballroom before Thursday March 6th. And even if not all those sounds were unholy–Luther Dickinson led the group toward transcendence at a couple moments during their near three hours on stage–and the momentum flagged toward the two hour mark, NMAS did in fact do what the guitarist said he set out to do: unite the band and its audience as one before the night was over.
The first hour in fact was an object lesson in unity or, more accurately, continuity, as the Allstars interwove blues standards such as “Sittin On Top of the World” with their own tunes much as they had with the composition of their most recent studio album World Boogie Is Coming. There were no lapses in intensity after the quartet launched themselves with the martial drum beat augmented by opening act Lighting Malcolm and his sturdy percussionist sidekick Stud, a rhythmic interval expanded later in the evening as all four men marched through the audience and effectively forced the breakdown of the barriers separating the VIP area from the general audience.
Savvy dynamics continued to flow, if somewhat interruptedly, on the part of guitarist Dickinson and his muscular sibling of a brother Cody, while Malcolm assumed an unobtrusive role as bassist (Stud sat out for some but certainly not all the single set.) During a video segment of the Dickinson brothers shown playing together in their youth, the source of the drummer’s effortless attack became obvious: he’s been sitting at a kit most of his life (far longer than playing electric guitar, which he did with serviceable skills or working the washboard with effects, gimmicky as it’s become). Meanwhile, his brother continues to progress by leaps and bounds, on his own as well as in their collaborative partnership.
Luther Dickinson is clearly confident of his skills as a musician as evidenced by the relish with which he assumed the bass late in the evening. And because that enthusiasm is so infectious, he’s ingratiating as a frontman as well, easily charming the increasingly raucous northern Vermont audience. They were more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt when he stretched out on his beloved Gibson guitar and remained willing to listen closely while he did so, at a number of junctures, even late in the performance.
For instance, the ambient fretboard sounds, with and without a slide, were precursor to a similar but less unified segment during Jimi Hendrix “Hear My Train A Comin’,” which, if offered as the initial encore, might’ve regained the momentum lost during the latter section of “All Night Long.”
An otherwise ideal set-closer, that number simply became too loose for its own good by the time Malcolm assumed leadership at stage center and the same might be said of the ragged five minutes Luther led his bandmates through the Allman Brothers’ “Mountain Jam.” But there’s no denying its intent as homage to major influences as were many of the other selections this night, such as RL Burnside’s “Poor Black Mattie,” the band’s initial atmospheric excursion. With no accompanying video footage, the abbreviated take on the famed ABB instrumental was purely spontaneous, yet no doubt as heartfelt as the modified blues offered while images of The Hendrix Experience flashed behind the band (interspersed with footage of the rural environs of Jay).
Luther Dickinson’s repartee with the attendees, who didn’t come close to filling the conference room at the plush resort hotel, was good-natured and heartfelt throughout the night, which may explain why, with two departures from the stage, sans theatrics or showmanship to implicitly ask to be called back, the guitarist returned by himself, as if he couldn’t keep from playing some more.
Then, as the clock approached midnight, he gestured to his band-mates to return to their instruments, which they did with some discernible fatigue, but no doubt also as deeply gratified as their titular lead was, both in proffering thanks to the audience, but even more so, savoring the opportunity to be playing for rabid music lovers, not idle vacationers in ski garb.
