Walla Walla – Two legends performed last Tuesday at Walla Walla’s newest music venue. Gospel singer Mavis Staples opened the show, followed by blues guitarist and singer Bonnie Raitt at the Wine Country Amphitheater.

W3Concerts, with partners CMoore Concerts and Knitting Factory Entertainment is producing the first concert series on the driving range at the Walla Walla Golf Course. The gently sloped range is a natural amphitheater with excellent sound. The evening was hot, over 100 degrees; the crowd was large, with over 4,000 fans, yet it felt cool, intimate, and easy.

Mavis Staples is an American gospel singer and civil rights activist who has won Grammys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and honored by the Kennedy Center. She joined the family’s gospel group, The Staple Singers, when she was eleven in 1950. Their music was inspirational and often political as they performed through some of the most contentious decades in the country’s history.

At Wednesday’s concert, Staples sang anthems of freedom and respect from the sixties and seventies. Listening to the lyrics, it was amazing how timely they have again become. Staples sees performing music as an act of kindness and fellowship, and her joyful spirit is irresistible. That generosity of spirit carried over when Raitt took the stage later, brimming with happiness at being able to play anywhere after years off due to the pandemic.

Bonnie Raitt and her band began playing as the sun set in the wheatfield behind the stage. Her set included blues, pop, covers, and originals. She sang personal songs written by beloved collaborators and icons, the music she carries with her. There is no way to remain unmoved when she sings John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.” Her recording of that song is well known, however, when she performs it live, her blues roots are evident as she sings around the tune, making it new and powerful.

Raitt told the audience that she and the tour were traveling in a tight bubble. In the age of COVID-19, an outbreak can derail a tour, and performers are careful after performing live again after the pandemic. The bubble also protects Staples, who though her strong voice belies her age, is 83.

Another action the tour took to protect its stars was to prohibit all photography. As press, I am usually allowed to bring a digital camera with several lenses to take photos of the show and the venue. Typically, at a concert, professional photographers are asked to take pictures only during a specific song, usually the second song of the set. Performers use that time to give photographers the best angles and iconic poses. During the rest of the show, the band can concentrate on the performance and the music, not on how they’ll look in a poorly timed photo.

At the beginning of the concert, the audience was also asked not to take pictures or videos. For the most part, phones seemed to be put away. There are several reasons performers ask fans to put their phones away, mainly for image control keeping unflattering photos off the internet. Another is to create an event where everyone is truly present, no selfies, no social media, and all eyes on the show. It was certainly what I experienced that night with my camera back at the office. I thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Source: © Copyright The Times Waitsburg But wait, there's more!

Bonnie Raitt clearly loves playing Pinewood Bowl and the 2,500 or so who made it to the Pioneers Park amphitheater Tuesday clearly love her, too.

Taking the stage at 8:15 p.m., with “Made Up Mind.” the first of a handful of songs from her new album that would turn up in the 90-minute set, Raitt then looked out at the bowl and said:

“It’s such a show for me to be in the daytime and be able to see everybody. You look great. It’s a blessing to be out in this festival-like setting again.”

So began another lovely Lincoln performance from Raitt, who cycled through her hits, played the new record and connected the audience through her music and words, spoken and lyrics.

The latter occurred touchingly when she took a seat on a stool, picked up an acoustic guitar and introduced a song “Just Like That” she’d written with her friend John Prine — a touching story about a mother listening to her son’s transplanted heart through a man’s chest.

Then came the blues of “The Road’s My Middle Name” before she strapped on her Stratocaster and pulled the crowd out of its seat with a slide-guitar rockin’ “Something to Talk About.”

It was followed by a driving new number written to honor those who died from COVID by “Livin’ for the Ones.”

Raitt acknowledged the evening’s sultry conditions early and often.

“We came in from the dressing room, which is arctic village in there,” she said after the second song. “I’m trying to keep my ‘do together. We’re not used to this heat. We’re usually dancing around up here. But we’re going to keep it chill.”

Later she talked about pulling her bus over to get lemon soft-serve ice cream on the way into the bowl earlier in the day during soundcheck.

Among the other show’s highlights were a swinging version of John Hiatt’s “No Business” and her jerky stomp blues cover of InXS’ “Need You Tonight.” and, of course, her achingly beautiful version of “Angel from Montgomery” in honor of Prine, who wrote it.

Raitt was terrific vocally from start to finish, clear, expressive and soulful and she sure can play guitar as can her guitarist Duke Levine.

As she set up for the set closer – an insistent blues rock run on Talking Head’s “Burning Down The House, Raitt made a final reference to her return to the “beautiful” bowl.

“It’s been a pleasure coming back and playing for you. That we could reunite … It’s been a pleasure playing in this heat with you.”

The legendary Mavis Staples opened the evening with 50 minutes of gospel and soul, highlighted by a deep-hearted take on The Band’s “The Weight” in which she shared vocals with her backing singers and guitarist.

Staples, who turned 83 last month, sat down a few times, resting in the heat. But her voice was there with all its gravelly strength and she was in high spirits throughout.

The veteran of the 1960s civil rights movement continued her lifelong activism with a spirited version of “My Country,” her anthem of struggle rewarded.

But she said the struggle for the country has to continue:

“I’m not too proud right now,” Staples said. “I don’t feel too good about it. I don’t like what I’m seeing. Too many guns, nobody’s doing anything about it. I’m seeing too many babies aren’t getting enough to eat. And you’ve got one guy who’s trying to stop us from voting. You can’t stop me from voting.

“If it keeps on, I might run for president myself. Vote Mavis.”

After turning “I’ll Take You There” into a call-and-response, Staples left the stage with this:

“My family, the Staples Singers, we’ve been taking you there for 74 years and I’m not tired yet. You ain’t seen the last of me. I’ll be back.”

Source: © Copyright The Lincoln Journal Star But wait, there's more!