Beth Hart & Robert Cray at Blues Fest 2014
The highlight of Blues Fest 2014 for me was the amazing evening I spent at the Royal Albert Hall on October 30th in the musical company of Robert Cray and Beth Hart . I had attended Van Morrison's gig 2 nights before, but had left feeling quite disappointed, The Irish Bluesman had not played any of his better known songs, nor had he even come back for an encore! Exit one disgruntled music fan & gig buddy to the nearest pub to drown our sorrows with beer and wine.
I'd already seen Robert Cray on tour in the UK earlier this year, and I knew he was back on top form with his last two albums Nothin' but Love & In My Soul. I enjoyed that gig so much I could have easily sat and listened to the velvet voice and blues guitar of Mr Cray for another 90 Minutes. Having been a fan of Beth Hart for the last few years, I was genuinley looking foward to seeing her perform at The Royal Albert Hall too - one of my favourite music venues.
As a child I had sung here myself as part of a massed school choir - I will never forget the goosebumps I felt as an 11 year old, hearing our harmonious voices soaring wthin the great natural acoustics of this iconic building. Over the years I have seen some great artists perform here - Jackson Browne, Eric Clapton, Dianna Krall, Joe Bonamassa, and Roger Hodgeson from Supertramp - but to hear Beth Hart's extraordinary voice in this venue was to be an extra special treat for me.
It was also a special evening becuse along with my gig buddy, we were meeting up with another couple of members of what I now refer to lovingly as "My Beth Hart" Family. These are other fans I have met at her gigs and become friendly with. As I will reveal in another blog post shortly - Beth's hardcore fans follow her all over the world - and tonight we were meeting up with uber fan Honza Berka again, and Alberto Di Leonne who runs the Beth Hart Italian Fan club.
Robert Cray's got the evening off to a fantastic start. With his band - including longtime childhood friend, the barefooted, very cool bass player Richard Cousins - he treated the audience to a masterclass in Blues, giving the audience the perfect mix of songs old and new. It's not often that the "Support Act" gets a standing ovation but when you consider that Cray has won 5 Grammy Awards, sold millions of records worldwide, and is probably “one of the greatest guitarists of his generation", you can understand why EVERYONE in the house was on their feet by the end of his set.
Listen to how he just takes this song to such a subtle ending with the guitar, that you can almost hear a pin drop in the auditorium.
ROBERT CRAY - ROYAL ALBERT HALL 30/10/2014 - "RIGHT NEXT DOOR"
After a short interval the 1st Lady of Blues - Beth Hart - took to the stage for her RAH Debut. Even in this awe inspiring venue, at times it seemed like we were being treated to a very intimate performance from her. Beth loves to chat to her audience inbetween songs - and tonight was no exception.
During her opening song For My Friends, it became clear why blues fans just adore her. Her voice had such power and clarity and held everyone captured from start to finish. She seemed to enjoy the kudos of playing here and it just made her voice sound even better.
Beth Hart always has so much energy and passion on stage and really knows how to entertain people. A lot of her own songs are cathartic and deeply personal - she often reaches down into her own troubled past to exoercise those demons through her songs but she is never depressing or self-pitying - almost the opposite. The fact that Hart now has focus and balance in her life makes songs like L.A. Story seem even more poignant, uplifting and moving. At one point when she sang a beautiful rendition of "Leave A Light On" I felt an instant affinity with the lyrics, and suddenly there I was, in the 3rd row from the front, emotionally moved, tears streaming down my face, but I was also smiling with joy - How wonderful is it when music make you feel such things? That level of emotional connection with a song or artist has never happened so deeply to me at a live gig before - and it shows just how much Beth Hart's music and personality touch her fans in ways that other artists can only dream of.
The feeling of being a privileged particpant on a journey that you share with Hart on stage, was never more evident than when she lost sight of her setlist and launched into the wrong number - quickly stopping to apologise to her confused band, before deciding to plough on with the wrong song anyway - that's Beth...spontaneous and positive, always surprising you and taking you to places only she can take you to.
It’s her powerhouse of a voice that never ceases to astound me. She can express every emotion and feeling known to womankind - from anger, as on Sick, and despair on Baddest Blues to wry put-downs to ex-lovers on Better Man and self depreciating humour on The Ugliest House On The Block.
At the end of the set, she was clearly over time, but still came back for a great encore - a solo rendition of My California at the piano - you get the feeling that had her wonderful road manager and husband Scott Guetzkow not physically removed her from the stage, she would have sat there playing for the fans all night!
Special mention must also go to PJ Barth who played a blistering guitar solo on "I'd Rather Go Blind" that was as good as anything i've ever heard Mr Joe Bonamassa do!
At the end of the evening, after meeting up briefly with our friends Honza and Alberto, my gig buddy and I decided not to hang around, as we were really tired from our four nights of concert going - what a shame we didn't wait at the stage door with them. Beth came out and spent a good twenty minutes or so signing autographs and posing for pictures - and sadly we missed it all.
Plenty of time to make ammends for that though as we have a Beth Hart hatrick in 2015 - we are seeing her in Amsterdam, Milan and London. Of couse we'll bring you the reviews - and maybe even an interview too. For now just enjoy some of the songs that made me smile, dance and cry!
BETH HART - FOR MY FRIENDS - ROYAL ALBERT HALL - 30/10/2014
I'D RATHER GO BLIND - ROYAL ALBERT HALL - 30/10/2014
THE ENCORE - MY CALIFORNIA - ROYAL ALBERT HALL 30/10/2014
