Walter Trout is in fine fettle and ready to rock. He may be 72 but quite frankly he’s on fire. Declaring “I am feeling this shit tonight!” His playing is adroit, fast but not flashy and packed with plenty of blusey emotion. You’d expect nothing less from a man who’s recorded 30 albums and played with some of the best musicians from Bonamassa to John Mayle, Walter Trout is a blues treasure. He feels it, every run and every lyric.
In fact there was a time when he couldn’t play due to his Illness and had to learn to play all over again. But phoenix like he’s retuned, humbled by his second chance, but given life by his fans and his music- and his wife of course.
He dedicates “ Say Goodbye to the Blues “ to the legendary BB King. In one of many stories tonight he talks about how he saw BB at a record store when he was taking a break from his job. He talked to BB for over an hour about wanting to play the blues and how he was an inspiration. That was the point of no return. Walter went back to his mom and said “I know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. “ And we’re glad he has.
Explosive emotive guitar playing and alternating between soft and harder vocals he embodies the music he plays.
Alongside him are a terrific band keeping the beat and helping to rock things up.
He plays several songs from his latest album ‘Ride’ including the terrific title track.
“I’m Worried” is a song about doom scrolling, but as he points out when you have been through what he has it’s easy to no give a fuck about all the other stuff and just concentrate on what’s important.
Next up is the jam session based on the ‘We’re all in this Together’ album. Joing the band on stage is a young man who Walter considers “the best harmonic player in the World” Will Wilde. And he’s pretty bloody exceptional! Support act, Alastair Green also joins in to play slide on ‘Gonna Hurt Like Hell’.
“Destiny” was dedicated to his wife of over 30 years, and the slowest song you’ll ever hear the band play. It’s a sedate comedown before the band get into ‘Red Sun’ and ‘Bullfrog Blues’ for the encore.
Earlier in the set he jokes about getting older and how he feels young when he plays but when he stops he feels 92, but vows he “will play till he can’t play no more!” Rock on Walter.
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