I'm still a bit undecided, but last night's Seasick Steve gig at the Manchester Ritz on 4th May might well be my favourite gig of all time.(Can it really push out the White Stripes...? Maybe not, but it's damn close.)
Steve's music is always better live, not just because that's the way blues should be heard but because he's such a great personality: walking up and down the stage, peering into the crowd like he's looking for someone, cracking jokes and making humorous observations... He's a bona fide entertainer, the likes of which are so rare these days amongst the sour-faced miserables of modern "rock".
Last night's gig was all the more remarkable for the unbilled presence of a certain John Paul Jones (he of the great Led Zeppelin) on bass, mandolin, slide guitar - well, you name it, he played it. The smiles that frequently crept across his lips showed just how much he was enjoying playing with Steve.
The three men on stage - including outstanding drummer Dan Magnusson - must have had a combined age of over 200 but they blew the crowd away with all the gracious confidence of musicians half their age. The set list was perfectly constructed, incorporating old and new material, flowing from loud, raucous blues (Down at the Farm, Thunderbird) to quiet soulful acoustic numbers (including a stunning cover of Cathy's Clown) and back again.
There were no egos on display; Steve thanked the crowd numerous times, Paul and Dan simply got on with the business of playing. Near as I could tell, there was not a single disappointed attendee: one lucky gal even got plucked from the crowd by Steve so that he could sing Walkin' Man to her.
All in all, it was an amazing night. You can't teach an old dog new tricks? Pull the other one, Steve.
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