Yesterday was an alright birthday as birthdays go. I got to spend some time with my mom, dad and sister. It started with waking up in Torrey Utah. A simple breakfast with extended family (Grandma, my aunt and her daughter, my sister and my mom). Then it was a small drive back to Park City and a nice shower after a few days of not having one. We went to see my dad’s exhibit at the Iron Horse Gallery which is running through the end of the month. A little late lunch and chatting.
Then I got a chance to see a concert last night that kinda came out of the blue thanks to a friend of mine who contacted me a couple of days ago. I figured what the hell I wouldn’t mind seeing something. I agreed to go and found out it was Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Cray.
I had heard of Keb’ Mo’ but never heard him. I was already familiar with Robert Cray. Actually I didn’t know Robert Cray was on the bill until I got there to park the car. I figured Robert was the headliner. Oops. Not the case. The show was at Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake. I had never been there before. The venue itself is very cool. It’s an outdoor thing with natural seating and lots of grass. It’s very cozy and not overly small nor overly large. In fact it’s a darn good venue for live music.
It’s bring your own snacks and drinks which is even cooler. No messy need to wait in line for overpriced beer or food. Then again, I was along for the ride and it was my buddy Marc’s birthday present to me. Can’t beat free beer/wine, cheese, grapes, crackers and music – so long as it’s good. 🙂
The show kicked off with Robert Cray who is steeped in a more traditional sounding blues format. What I thought was interesting is that Robert keeps his microphone height low. Which means he has to bend at the knees and stoop forward to sing. I’ve never seen someone do that on purpose so it was a little strange to watch. During Robert’s set he had Keb’ Mo’ come up and play guitar and sing on a few tunes. After his set came an intermission where people get up, mill about, drink, chat, eat, etc…
The headliner was Keb’. Having never heard him, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had a great time. Keb’ was fun to watch. He has a good stage presence and uses a variety of guitars to get various sounds. Not to mention he is a fine guitar player and writes songs that use the blues as a jumping off point. Keb’ has a much more polished pop style to his blues. Which is smart to me. It makes him highly accessible, even more so than say Stevie Ray Vaughn. Keb’ had a command of the stage and the band that few artists achieve and it was impressive.
After the show to avoid dealing with the traffic we tailgated in the parking lot, eating, drinking, chatting some more. Three hippie types showed up to sit and join the party, but within minutes I had to block them out because I couldn’t take the gibberish. Eventually their ride showed up and they left. Phew. With the traffic gone and the food and drink spent, we broke it up and went our separate ways. I thanked Marc for having me out and then shot back up the canyon to Park City. It was about 1 am and perfect time to sit out for a bit to watch the shooting stars. Did you catch them last night?
As for this song, I think Keb’ did a stronger version of it live, but I liked the message – Love Yourself. If you find out that Keb’ is coming to your neck of the woods and you like a bluesy pop sound, I recommend you see this man play. If you can’t make a show, I do suggest you explore his CD’s. It’s damn good stuff and clever too.