Way back in February of last year, I journeyed east to Kansas City to see Alastair Greene performing at the legendary Knuckleheads Saloon. That trip was part of the “Cover Them There to Bring Them Here” series I was doing to try to build local interest for touring acts that, at the time, weren’t scheduled to play in the Denver area. On back-to-back nights I attended/covered shows by Alastair Greene and the Blood Brothers.
(If you’re interested, you can revisit my review of the Alastair Greene KC show via this link… Denver Entertainment Hub.com/Alastair Greene/Knuckleheads and/or my interview with Alastair Greene via this link… Denver Entertainment Hub/Alastair Greene Interview.)
Prior to the show at Knuckleheads I had the opportunity to chat with Alastair about his long absence from stages in Colorado. He last played in the Denver area in 2021. I let him know that the people in Denver would love to see him back on stage soon. Less than two weeks later, I received an email from Alastair, letting me know that he was working on getting a Denver area gig sometime in late July.
That gig happened on July 23, at the Buffalo Rose in Golden. He also performed in Fruita on July 20, Colorado Springs on July 21, Paonia on July 22, and Fort Collins on July 24. And this year, he just finished playing three nights in a row in the Centennial state – May 30 in my hometown of Lamar (go figure), May 31 in Greeley, and June 1 in Colorado Springs. Proof positive of the power of the “Cover Them There to Bring Them Here” series?
Friday night’s show in Greeley was part of the “Friday Fest” activities for the Greeley Blues Jam. Greene played the Main Stage at the 9th Street Plaza. Admission to the show was free, so if you weren’t there… duh?
Following an exceptional opening set from Colorado’s own Delta Sonics, Greene took the stage at a few minutes before 7:00 pm, and proceeded to wow the crowd with a 19-song, hour and forty-minute set. The setlist drew heavily from Greene’s most recent album, Standing Out Loud, which dropped on May 17, but also included material from his terrific 2020 album The New World Blues, a handful of songs from his earlier catalog, and a number of covers from artists whose music has influenced his career.
Backed by his current touring band of Justin Sedillo on bass and Chris Trafton on drums, Greene opened the set with four straight tunes from the new album… (in order) “Temptation,” “Slow Burn,” “Standing Out Loud,” and “You Can’t Fool Me.” In total Greene played eight of the eleven songs included on the new album.
I admit I would have liked the set to have included more from The New World Blues. Three songs were included… “Bayou Mile,” “Living Today,” and “Lies and Fear.” Greene pulled from his 2017 album Dream Train for “Lucky 13” and “Down To Memphis”. And he went way back with “Trouble At Your Door,” the title track from his 2014 album of the same name.
Then there are the covers. Greene is a student of blues history, and readily admits to his reverence for the artists who came before him. His shows always include a heavy dose of covers from artists like Junior Wells, Robert Johnson, Albert King, and Johnny Winter. Friday’s show included “Hey, Lawdy Mama” (Wells), “Don’t Throw Your Love On Me So Strong” (King), “Walking Blues (Johnson), “Stop Breaking Down” (originally from Johnson, but recorded in 1972 by the Rolling Stones), and the rousing jam that generally closes his shows, “Mean Town Blues” (Winter).
I noted in my review of Greene’s 2023 Knuckleheads show that he is a superb guitarist, vocalist, and showman. He’s always been those things, but even I was surprised at his exceptional playing at the Greeley show. It’s clear that the man works hard at his craft – how else to explain how he seems to just keep getting better, even at this stage of his career. I walked away from his show with even more respect for his playing than I already had.
His showmanship always has been, and continues to be, superb. His interactions with the crowd are both playful and heartfelt. He jokes and clowns around but goes out of his way to express his appreciation to everyone who comes out to see him play. Even after giving his all for an hour and forty minutes on stage, he still found time to man the merch table, giving every fan who wanted a little bit of his time their due. He’s a showman’s showman.
Greene is wrapping up tour dates in Nevada, California, and Arizona, before heading to Florida for a set of dates later this month. Then it’s off to Sweden, the UK and Germany. But he’ll be back in Colorado as the headliner for the 2024 Durango Blues Train experience, August 22 – 24. Tickets for that event are sold out, but you can join the waiting list at 2024 Durango Blues Train — Official fan-to-fan ticket exchange (lyte.com).
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
