The show itself was very well done. It was fun watching the keyboard player (can't remember his name but it wasn't Jim Pugh although he looked a lot like him.) He always had a huge grin on his face and you could tell he was really enjoying himself. The whole band in fact had that look to them, even though this show was nearly at the end of their long tour, they gave their all and looked like they were having a blast. Richard Cousins of course was great in all of his bare-footed glory. That guy sure can play too. I liked how they were all rockin' it old school... no in-ear monitors in sight... all floor wedges
Sound was pretty good... Mr. Cray's vocals could have been a touch louder but overall volume was great... not so loud I wished I brought earplugs but still plenty loud for a 850-or-so seat venue. Venue (Uptown Theatre in Napa, California) is a really nice theatre. We were in row Q, somewhat close to center but still had a fantastic view. The place was packed and the crowd was really into the show.I've been a big fan of RC since he broke-out in the 80's. One of those guys where you only need to hear a couple notes and you immediately know it's him. With his on-the-verge compressed clean tone he uses he has to spot-on with his technique and timing because he can't hide behind overdrive, delay and swampy reverb. He changed guitars pretty much every song until the about 3/4 of the way through where he stayed with the same guitar until the end. He even shocked me when he played a Tele on one song!
I am hoping that even just a little of his playing, singing, and showmanship rubbed off on me when I ran into him on the street in Napa before the show and shook his hand.
His MiM Robert Cray Signature Strat is actually my #1 right now. Great playing and sounding guitar and I love the hardtail... and those pickups... so sweet.
