Truth is Bonnie Raitt probably would have liked to have had the night off. The previous evening was a "homecoming" show in LA including a reception she said for 180, all of whom she visited with. "We played until 3 or 4 in the morning!" she told the enthusiastic Santa Barbara Bowl audience. It was the audience that seemed to recharge her as the evening progressed. She paid great tribute to the late Gerry Rafferty saying the Scotsman "was a greatly under appreciated artist" who deserves more recognition. Rafferty's "Right Down the Line" is the single from her new album and was warmly accepted by the audience and set the evening on its trajectory.
It started off on a high point and simply got better. The superb band James "Hutch" Hutchinson on Bass, Ricky Fataar on Drums, George Marinelli on Guitar and Mike Finnigan on keyboard also were cranked up by the continuing ovations and response.
Raitt brought guitar handler Manny Alvarez out to play on a couple of numbers. A major talent there as well. Vickie Randolph joined Bonnie in doing a couple of duets which also cranked up the crowd.
Throughout the concert she paid effusive tribute to Mavis Staples who had been her opening act for much of the tour.
One of several emotional high points came when she sang "Marriage Made In Hollywood" written by Paul Brady and her former Husband Michael O'Keefe.
"...like a free-fall chute that didn't open
He looked down to see his dream was broken
He stared back up at a hot grey sky
Re-ran his life and then he died.
Well if you jump off a building, brother beware!
"Cause my friend Jimmy woke up in mid-air
No time to smile, no time to wave
They buried him in a media grave."
Loudon Wainright's lyrics also gave Ms. Raitt a
powerful moment-
"...Mercy is just a warning across the bows
I live for yours and you can't fail me now..."
She is a great solo vocalist with a range from country to blues. And she is a consummate player. Her guitar solo on
Ray Charles' "I Got News For You," had people standing and applauding before she finished.
Audiences at the Santa Barbara Bowl are attentive. Many in the region are music people or are associated with entertainment. Some of the audience are peers. There is a mood of appreciation that just runs high in crowds at the Bowl. Whatever the cause, it makes for a great instant love between performer and audience.
"I love you too," she yelled back to a fan. "It seems to be working out."
We left thrilled by the concert and I'll bet Bonnie Raitt left more pumped than she might have imagined she would be when she opened on the night after her homecoming show LA.
In March of 76 Lana and I joined Barb and Dave for a Bicentennial drive across America. We loaded their VW Van, bid a farewell to our daughter who was being doted over by grandmothers and aunts and headed west. Barb uncovered my daily journal from that trip and this week we have recounted memories. A highlight of that epic journey was a camping trip to Big Sur's Lime Kiln. This was long before it was a state park. We had been there previously and had been captured by it. In March of 76, Barb and Dave made their first and last visit, until this week.
What a great joy it was to be there again with Barb and Dave. We had much to celebrate, most notably Barb's victory over ovarian cancer.
Frequent readers of this blog will recall several postings from Big Sur and especially Lime Kilns. It is one of our favorite places on the planet.
There is a primeval peace and a natural tranquility which breathes from the rushing stream and sun light filtered through towering redwoods.
I've posted about the fire which burned through the forest
and the natural recovery which occurred, as it has for as long as time.
Lana and I go to Big Sur frequently, but on this return trip, Barb and Dave vowed to make it more often than another 36 years. Have a great weekend. Tell good friends you love them. See you down the trail.
In the mid-west and east people will begin looking for hints of color in the maples, sycamores, oaks, hickories, and other deciduous trees, now that we are getting deep into September. Out west we spot the color in the aspen, oak and madrone trees, especially in the Sierra. As a former mid westerner one calculates the connection between color in leaves to leaves on the ground and then the arrival of snow. While we hope for a lot of snow in the Sierra, that part of the equation-snow-changes when you get to the coast. In fact autumn may well be THE season here on the central coast. We still have blooms, the sky is blue, the temperatures are moderate to warm and it stays that way. The only variance are those few days when rain allows for more blooms and a renewing greening. Nominally the rainy season, October through March, means a lot less rain than elsewhere. 24 to 26 inches is a good normal year. Spread that over a 5 to 6 month span and you see rain is a precious and indeed a somewhat rare resource. So, for now, more color from those things that don't require much water. And we'll be on the look out for color in the leaves and reports of the first snow, high in the mountains or back east.
