This rarely happens at a big-time arena concert: The headliner comes out at the beginning and introduces the equally famous opening act.
James Taylor made an exception on Friday at Xcel Energy Center, taking the stage to welcome “my dear friend, my idol” Bonnie Raitt, who certainly needs no introduction.
However, Raitt missed the opening leg of her spring/summer tour with Taylor due to emergency surgery. Friday marked her first night on the road.
Raitt, 68, has had major emotional nights onstage in the Twin Cities, where she recorded her 1971 debut album and her brother, sound engineer Steve, lived for more than three decades. There was the night at the Minnesota State Fair a day after Raitt’s pal Stevie Ray Vaughan, the guitar hero, died in a helicopter crash in 1990. There was the night at the fair a few months after Steve Raitt had died of cancer in 2009.
Bonnie is BACK !! 10 photo’s
On Friday, Raitt had a different kind of emotion — joy. And gratitude. Both were expressed in conversation and in song. In fact, her too-short hourlong set was quintessential Raitt — acoustic blues, hot slide guitar, funk, R&B, a political piece, pop, rock, ballads and impassioned vocals in all styles. And some preaching politics to the choir of 13,000 fans.
Dedicated to women around the world, the slow and twangy/bluesy “Angel from Montgomery” has never sounded more penetrating. And a solo acoustic version of the Skip James’ blues chestnut “Devil Got My Woman” illustrated that whatever was ailing the Rock Hall of Famer, her voice and guitar skills are as potent as ever.
Raitt was able to cross pollinate with Taylor’s musicians, notably with Arnold McCuller, upping the sexiness of “Nick of Time.” And Taylor himself strapped on an electric guitar for “Thing Called Love,” during which the usually laid-back quintessential 1970s acoustic singer-songwriter suddenly transformed into a shoulder-shaking, knees quaking and head bobbing rock ’n’ roller.
That helped infuse Taylor’s mood for his own 110-minute set. He has never been funnier in concert in the Twin Cities. In fact, who knew he was funny? Playful with a gleam in his eye, he told self-deprecating stories, setting up songs, several of which were complemented with old photos and videos.
For instance, during “Handy Man,” there were videos of him repairing a fence and other workmen falling off ladders and experiencing unintended pratfalls. During “Sunny Skies,” Taylor’s dog pranced across the video screens.
“We’ll stoop to anything,” he proclaimed with a wink in his voice. “Pictures of the dog.”
And the 70-year-old Rock Hall of Famer hammed it up on “Steamroller Blues,” by mock duckwalking, extracting feedback from his amplifier and jumping (not a big one) to end it.
If the humor made this Taylor concert memorable, the music didn’t take a back seat. Backed by his immaculately sounding band, he sang with deep felt conviction, whether it was the folk-rock of “Country Road” or the soul of “How Sweet It Is.”
And, of course, Taylor gave the fans something to talk about by bringing Raitt out for a rip-roaring encore of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and then a gorgeously tender sit-down duet of Taylor’s “Close Your Eyes,” accompanied only by Taylor’s acoustic guitar.
As he played the outro on his guitar, she put her hand on his knee. He smiled at her as he gracefully plucked away on the final notes. Then he kissed her.
An unforgettable ending to an unforgettable evening.
INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP — “You got your hands on the right ticket,” James Taylor told the DTE Energy Music Theatre crowd at the start of his concert there with Bonnie Raitt on Tuesday night, Aug. 8.
And it was certainly hard to argue otherwise.
A pair of veteran, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted performers, each packing a lengthy repertoire of enduring material, is, after all, the perfect formula for a summer amphitheater show. And in the case of Taylor and Raitt you had two artists with histories that gave them more right than most to refer to the place as Pine Knob.
It was indeed a case of one plus one equaling more than two, especially when these two spent time together on stage. Taylor even brought Raitt on at the beginning of the night with a warm and gracious introduction, then joined her for her hit rendition of John Haitt’s “Thing Called Love.” Raitt returned the favor during Taylor’s encores, joining he and his band for a “Johnny B. Goode” tribute to the late Chuck Berry — complete with Berry photos and videos on the rear-stage video screen — and then finishing the night with Taylor on an acoustic duet of his “You Can Close Your Eyes.”
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DTE Energy Music Theatre - Clarkston, MI 8-8-2017
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About the only thing the pair didn’t do right was pay some heed to the moment; On the day Glen Campbell died it may have been a stretch to work one of his songs into the performance, but it was unconscionable for neither Taylor nor Raitt to even mention his passing in some form — a genuinely disappointing misstep on an otherwise pleasing evening.
Raitt and her four-piece band, not surprisingly, breathed a little more fire than Taylor and his aptly-billed All-Star Band. Noting the tour’s end this week as “a little bit like the last night of summer camp. We’re getting kind of sad,” Raitt kicked her hour-long set off with sinewy versions of “Unintended Consequence Of Love” and INXS’ “Need You Tonight,” both from her latest album “Dig In Deep” and both leaving plenty of room for her sharply played slide guitar solos. Noting a history with Taylor that stretched back to the late 60s, Raitt paid tribute to her tourmate with a version of his “Rainy Day Man,” and she slide a bit of mentor John Lee Hooker’s “In The Mood” into Chris Smither’s “Love Me Like a man.”
Raitt laid back on favorites such as “Nick Of Time” and “Angel From Montgomery,” which set up a solid closing punch — a fiery rendition of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down The House” and then “Thing Called Love.”
Taylor’s hour-and-50-minutes on stage, in contrast, was an exposition in soft rock, albeit some of the most sophisticated and iconic — “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire And Rain” and “You’ve Got A Friend,” anybody? — of the ilk. Excepting a sound mix that was often too bottomy, with percussionist Luis Conte’s congas far too hot and up-front, the gently paced 20-song set was filled with carefully crafted arrangements that made even less-celebrated fare such as “Sunny Skies” and “First Of May” (introduced with a few comic F-bombs from Taylor) go down easy.
And when Taylor, in his flat cap and sport coat, was rolling out the hits — from the opening couplet of “Carolina On My Mind” and “Country Road” through the likes of “Mexico,” “Up On The Roof,” “Something In The Way She Moves,” “Your Smiling Face” and Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” — it was non-stop singalong city for the boomer-dominated crowd. His own voice may have shown some vestiges of age but still had the familiar mix of Carolina twang and New England nasal, and his three back-up singers (particularly Arnold McCuller on “Shower The People”) kept the harmonies sublime.
Taylor also maintained an air of familial nostalgia throughout, liberally placing home movies and personal photos in the video display — even of his dog during “Sunny Skies,” after which Taylor confessed “there’s nothing we won’t stoop to.” His song introductions were warm and insightful, and with a near-full moon slipping in and out of the clouds, having a ticket for this show definitely seemed like the right thing.
James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt Toyota Center August 1, 2017
Houstonians had other entertainment options other than live music on a Tuesday night, with the red-hot Astros barreling towards the playoffs and playing at Minute Maid just up LaBranch Street from Toyota Center. This was apparent, as the arena was not sold out for two legendary performers. Many fans were still wrapping up their early-bird specials as James Taylor sauntered onstage and greeted the crowd with, “Houston, welcome to the James Taylor and Bonnie Raitt Summer Tour. You got the right ticket.”
He then brought his tourmate and her band up onstage. The 11-time Grammy winner’s flaming red mane with the white spot up front makes her look more like a Marvel superhero than a badass blues guitarist.
Before the band broke into a folksy-rock cover of INXS’s “Need You Tonight,” Raitt spoke of being back in the land of Urban Cowboy, reminiscing about being in the classic film: “My liver is just now starting to recover.” If her liver was having issues, it had no effect on her voice or guitar playing; both were flawless and impeccable.
As the band started playing a mashup of Chaka Khan’s “You Got the Love” and “Love Sneakin’ Up On You,” a handful of people too smart for their own good left their seats to go to the restroom and/or grab a drink before the massive intermission crowds hit, but they missed a big surprise — the last song of her set, when Taylor came out with an electric guitar to accompany Raitt on “Thing Called Love.” The two legendary singer-songwriters meshed perfectly together, neither of them stealing the spotlight from the other.
Photo by Jack Gorman
Taylor emerged from the break to take a seat in front of the incredible stage, a large LED backdrop supplemented by several smaller screens of various sizes that floated across the stage. The great storyteller thanked everyone for bringing him back to Houston and started the set with “Carolina On My Mind.”
Someone screamed “Sweet Baby James!” Taylor said, “we will play that” and held up a huge set list, at least three and a half feet tall, and pointed towards the bottom. “It’s down here,” Taylor said. “We are up here still, but I’ll remind you when we get there.” The 69-year-old performer seemed to truly be in his element during the “Steamroller” jam session moving across the stage like one of those whippersnappers at the Warped Tour. Upon catching his breath, he thanked the crowd for indulging the group during a “shameless display of pseudofunk.”
The crowd was seated for most of the show but gave standing ovations after “Sweet Baby James” and “Fire and Rain.” Taylor must have thought this was the old Summit building, because he took the Toyota Center to church during the gospel sounds of “Shed a Little Light.” Like a trail of annoying sugar ants, by then people had started streaming up the stairs. It was definitely past some bedtimes.
Taylor brought out Raitt again for the encore and shredded the guitar during a Chuck Berry tribute of “Johnny B. Goode.” Taylor then sung “You’ve Got a Friend” and appeared to walk offstage, only to grab Raitt for one more unexpected closing tune. As the duo sat signing, “You Can Close Your Eyes Now.” tears streamed down many faces while some couples held each other tenderly. As fans left the building just after 11 o’clock, the weary faces gave proof of the energy they emitted during the show, even if they sat through most of it.
Photo by Jack Gorman
SET LIST Carolina in My Mind Country Road Sunny Skies Never Die Young First of May Montana Mexico Steamroller Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight Something in the Way She Moves Sweet Baby James Fire and Rain Shed a Little Light Shower the People Your Smiling Face How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)
ENCORE Johnny B. Goode (with Bonnie Raitt) You’ve Got a Friend You Can Close Your Eyes (with Bonnie Raitt)
Bandana Blues is and will always be a labor of love. Please help Spinner deal with the costs of hosting & bandwidth. Visit www.bandanablues.com and hit the tipjar. Any amount is much appreciated, no matter how small. Thank you.
Bonnie has contributed a new recording of "Prison Bound Blues" written by Leroy Carr to a project called Better Than Jail, an extraordinary new album benefiting Free Hearts and Equal Justice USA. Better Than Jail is available everywhere today and features covers of iconic prison songs from Steve Earle, Taj Mahal,Margo Price, The War and Treaty and many more. The album seeks to raise awareness and support for the urgent need to reduce the harm of the criminal justice system. https://found.ee/BetterThanJail.
I'm so proud to have joined in with so many illustrious artists in creating this very special album in support of rural prison reform. Overlooked for far too long, this issue cuts across all cultural and political divides and deserves all our focused attention to finally bring about some swift and meaningful action. Better Than Jail is one of the most inspired and heartfelt albums I've been blessed to be a part of and I hope it sets a fire in hearts far and wide to join in our efforts." ~ Bonnie Raitt
Released on: 2024-10-04 Executive Producer: Brian Hunt Producer: Kenny Greenberg Producer: Wally Wilson Producer: Bonnie Raitt Recording Engineer: Jason Lehning at Sound Emporium Mastering Engineer: Alex McCollough at True East Mastering Production Assistant: Shannon Finnegan Mixer: Justin Niebank at Hounds Ear Music Publisher: Universal Music Corp. Composer, Lyricist: Leroy Carr ℗ Believe Entertainment Group and Wyatt Road Records
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The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Nothing in Rambling Ft. Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo' & Mick Fleetwood
In celebration of the band’s 50th Anniversary, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have just released Struck Down, their first studio album in eight years on Stony Plain Records. The ten-track album includes a wonderful cover of Memphis Minnie’s “Nothing in Rambling,” featuring longtime friends, T-Birds founding member Kim Wilson, along with Bonnie, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal and Mick Fleetwood. — BRHQ
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Little Feat - Long Distance Call
“I’ve always loved Little Feat and this new incarnation of the band is bringing some serious heat, cred and new blood to their enduring legacy. Every Feat fan loves us some Sam. I’m so glad he’s now gotten a chance to step out front and center and put his spin on these wonderful blues songs. I loved singing "Long Distance Call" with him, always one of my favorites, and Scott slayed on slide. Know you’ll enjoy hanging out with us at Sam’s Place!" -- Bonnie Raitt
“Long Distance Call” was written by blues legend, Muddy Waters. It has Sam Clayton and Bonnie Raitt on vocals, Scott Sharrard on Dobro, Fred Tackett on acoustic guitar, Tony Leone on drums, and Michael “The Bull” LoBue on harmonica. The album also features Bill Payne on piano and Kenny Gradney on bass.
Little Feat have composed an album that’s their love letter to the blues entitled, ‘Sam’s Place.’ “Long Distance Call” plus many other blues classics are on this album. You can stream and order ‘Sam’s Place’ here: https://orcd.co/samsplace
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2, the anticipated new John Prine tribute record from Oh Boy Records, is out today. Stream/purchase HERE.
Created as a celebration of Prine’s life and career, the album features new renditions of some of Prine’s most beloved songs performed by Brandi Carlile (“I Remember Everything”), Tyler Childers (“Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You”), Iris DeMent (“One Red Rose”), Emmylou Harris (“Hello In There”), Jason Isbell (“Souvenirs”), Valerie June (“Summer’s End”), Margo Price (“Sweet Revenge”), Bonnie Raitt (“Angel From Montgomery”), Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (“Pretty Good”), Amanda Shires (“Saddle in the Rain”), Sturgill Simpson(“Paradise”) and John Paul White (“Sam Stone”). Proceeds from the album will benefit twelve different non-profit organizations, one selected by each of the featured artists.
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Bonnie Raitt - Write Me a Few of Your Lines/Kokomo Blues
60 years anniversary celebration of Arhoolie
December 10, 2020
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Arhoolie Foundation celebrates it's 60th anniversary (1960-2020) with an online broadcast.
Bonnie Raitt - Shadow of Doubt
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
October 3, 2020
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass celebrates it's 20th anniversary with an online broadcast titled “Let The Music Play On”.
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Bonnie Raitt & Boz Scaggs - You Don't Know Like I Know
Farm Aid 2020 On the Road
Sam & Dave classic written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.
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Sheryl Crow & Bonnie Raitt - Everything Is Broken
[Eric Clapton’s Crossroads 2019]
Eric Clapton, one of the world’s pre-eminent blues/rock guitarists, once again summoned an all-star team of six-string heroes for his fifth Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2019. Held at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, the two-day concert event raised funds for the Crossroads Centre in Antigua, the chemical dependency treatment and education facility that Clapton founded in 1998.
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'A Tribute To Mose Allison'
Celebrates The Music Of An Exciting Jazz Master
Raitt contributed to a new album, If You're Going To The City: A Tribute To Mose Allison, which celebrates the late singer and pianist, who famously blended the rough-edged blues of the Mississippi Delta with the 1950s jazz of New York City.
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Bonnie Raitt about her friendship with the Mose Allison. They're also joined by Amy Allison — his daughter, who executive produced the album — about selecting an unexpected list of artists to contribute songs to the album.
Recorded on tour June 3, 2017 - Centennial Hall, London - Ontario Canada
INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP — “You got your hands on the right ticket,” James Taylor told the DTE Energy Music Theatre crowd at the start of his concert there with Bonnie Raitt on Tuesday night, Aug. 8.
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