The most heartfelt moment of the night for me, came when Bonnie sang her Grammy Award winning song “Just Like That”. Bonnie opened up about her friend and inspiration, John Prine, who tragically lost his life a few years ago from Covid. She mentioned that she was channeling John when wrote the song..

Bonnie Raitt graced the stage of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland last Wednesday for the second of two shows. The theater was packed with adoring fans, many of whom had not missed a performance since she first started touring. The last time I saw Bonnie in concert was about twenty years ago, so I was looking forward to finally seeing her again, and she did not disappoint! From the moment she entered the stage to her final bow, she had the audience in the palm of her hand. The backdrop was a gorgeous hand painted scene with a sunset over the water, changing color with every song. And throughout the evening there were chants of “We love you Bonnie!” to which she responded “I love you too!”

She started off the set with “I Sho Do”, followed by “God Was in the Water”, “Made Up Mind”, “Love So Strong”, and “Blame it on Me”. I was wondering if Bonnie would make mention of the difficult world affairs, and she did. She talked about how hard it was to wake up to the news sometimes, but that it helps for everyone to get together and listen to music to get us through these crazy times. She reminded the audience to vote, to hopefully bring some light, love, and sanity back to the world. And that led into the next song, the surprisingly upbeat version of “Help me Lord”, as Bonnie invited the audience to sing along.

The most heartfelt moment of the night for me, came when Bonnie sang her Grammy Award winning song “Just Like That”. Bonnie opened up about her friend and inspiration, John Prine, who tragically lost his life a few years ago from Covid. She mentioned that she was channeling John when wrote the song. “Just Like That” is about a grieving mother who meets the heart transplant recipient of her deceased son. During her performance you could hear a pin drop, and I imagine that everyone in the audience was in tears. I know I was.

Switching to a more upbeat tone, Bonnie sat at the piano for “Nick of Time”, and then sang one of my favorites, John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery”, followed by “Livin’ for the Ones” and Steal Your Heart Away”.

The encore had a huge surprise with Portland’s own Curtis Salgado joining her for the last song. I didn’t realize they had been friends for over forty years, and when she introduced him, the crowd went wild. He thanked her for asking him to join her, and also thanked her for paying his rent when he was in the hospital getting his liver transplant many years ago. Bonnie nodded an acknowledgment, and then they sang “Never Make Your Move Too Soon”. Bonnie then called James Hunter back on stage, as well as all of her band members (guitarist Duke Levine, keyboardist Glenn Patscha, drummer Ricky Fataar and bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson), and the audience was invited to take out their phones to take photos. A perfect end to a perfect evening!

I also want to recognize the supporting band, British singer songwriter James Hunter and his band. He has a great band, with a retro soul and classic R&B sound. His band of six includes drummer Jonathan Lee, Keyboardist Chris Hazelton, bassist Jason Wilson, saxophonist Damian Hand, and saxophonist Lee Badau.

About The Author

Diane Russell

Music reviewer, photographer and painter.

Diane Russell was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She is a painter and photographer. You’ve seen her paintings and drawings of musicians all over town, including in here. And you’ve seen her photography on OMN for many years and we’re happy to be able to have her work on our pages.

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