On a gorgeous warm Sunday night on June 18th, the legendary Buddy Guy had this to say to the Summerstage Crowd in Central Park, “If you don’t like the Blues, you’re at the wrong fucking stage”. The 86 year old blues man is on his Damn Right, Farewell tour as he wraps up an astounding career and on this evening he had some younger blues practitioners helping him out in the heart of New York City.
Up first was Samantha Fish who brought Texas guitarist Jesse Dayton along as the two have recently worked together on their first collaborative album, Deathwish Blues. The title track kicked off the whole show with soaring vocals from Fish and a ripping solo from Dayton as the record was a focal point of the set. Other efforts played from the album were the Dayton-led “Down in the Mud”, the set-closing “Riders” and the grooving “Trouble” which contained a heavy metal-like, mid-song breakdown.
The guitars were dueling as the revved up boogie shook out all set with a focus on the electro keys for Fish’s “Hello Stranger” and cigar box guitar during her ripping “Bulletproof”. Fish then delivered the highlight of the whole evening with a sultry take on Screamin’ Jay Hawkins “I Put A Spell on You”. Starting out slow and burning, the tune built to blazing crescendos as both Dayton and Fish blasted out massive solos before a dynamic closing which found Fish singing from the bottom of her soul; a truly standout performance.
Next up was Christone “Kingfish” Ingram who has recorded with Guy in the past and has established himself as a major force in the blues world. Wasting no time he led off the show with a killer solo to start as his backing band dropped into “She Calls Me Kingfish” flexing his strength on his six string. Ingram was all about textures on this night as the slow, nuanced blues of “Fresh Out” was propelled forward by excellent keyboard work while the band amped up the funk for efforts like “Midnight Heat” and “Not Gonna Lie” featuring solos from each member.
“Empty Promises” was the shining star of Kingfish’s set as he channeled a Jimi Hendrix-like vibe with smoldering guitar work before wrapping up the tune on an introspective, soulful note. Closing his set with the hard stomping “Long DIstance Woman” left the crowd wanting more as Kingfish exited the stage.
It wasn’t long before the legend himself arrived as the sunset. Backed by the incredibly tight Damn Right Blues Band, Buddy Guy hit the ground running with fiery playing and fierce fretboard work on the opening “Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues”. The squealing riffs announced his presence before a dynamite piano solo from Daniel Souvigny wrapped it up to an appreciative crowd.
Guy broke out some guitar scratching tricks during a long, drawn-out intro to “Hoochie Coochie Man” which found second guitarist Ric Hall performing one of the best solos all evening (a very high bar) before the song dripped seamlessly into “She’s Nineteen Years Old”. Highlights of Guy’s set were his rendition of “Got My Mojo Working”, which was an out-of-control freight train of revved-up rockin’ blues, and “Grits Ain’t Groceries” a version of Little Milton’s original that had an upbeat shimmy before a mid-song break found Guy breaking out more electric guitar tricks including teasing “Sunshine of Your Love” while slapping his guitar with a drumstick, and wrapping the whole sonic adventure up by segueing into “Take Me To The River”.
Guy was in a conversational/reflective mood all evening, telling stories and calling out the crowd for requesting the wrong song. Swearing and laughing in equal measure Guy did things his way as the slow blues of “Drowning on Dry Land” had different verses sung throughout, including “Rock Me Baby” (as well as more suggestive offerings) before he abruptly ended the tune. Tributes were paid to Hendrix, John Lee Hooker (“Boom Boom Boom”), BB King, and more before the gospel-influenced “Skin Deep” which was heartfelt and included some crowd interaction that devolved into playfulness from Guy.
The night wrapped up with Guy inviting out Bobby Rush who, at 89, still has incredible stage presence and energy. Having a good time with an old friend, Guy was all smiles as Rush sang his hit “Chicken Heads” and blew a mean harmonica, even jumping around the stage with youthful abandon. The set devolved into various blues vamps and pieces of songs getting air time while Guy invited out his guitarist son Greg, an excellent treat on this Father’s Day.
The night eased to an end as Buddy left the stage and Fish and Ingram returned to join the Damn Right Blues Band, closing the night with a few rounds of soloing in lieu of an encore.
