I remember it like it was yesterday. It wasn’t, of course… it was actually more than four years ago. Sunday, June 26, 2022. The setting was the Rendezvous Event Center in Winter Park, CO. It was the final day of the 20th anniversary edition of the Blues From The Top Festival. The headliner/closing act for that year’s three-day event was a Louisiana born blues rock guitarist named Tab Benoit.
Up to that point I had been a fan of Benoit but had never had the opportunity to see him perform live. After seeing/hearing that afternoon’s blistering set, Benoit immediately rose to the top of my “must see every chance I get” list. I’d never seen a guitarist who could generate the range of sound and tone he does, using only a stock 1972 Thinline Telecaster, a pair of amplifiers, and no pedals. The varying sounds he manages to produce are simply the product of his skilled musicianship and effort. He’ll tell you straight up that he “likes it raw.”
Since then, I’ve seen Benoit play many times, in multiple Denver area venues. The man is a touring machine, sometimes logging as many as 250 shows a year. But not once, in any of the shows I’ve seen, has there been any new material played. That’s not to say his setlists had always been exactly the same. Benoit released his first album in 1993, so his catalog is deep. But as of the last time I saw him live, at the Ogden last June, he hadn’t released a new studio album since 2011’s stellar Medicine. And even though he had a new album waiting in the wings (to be released a little over a month later), he didn’t tease the crowd with anything from it. He didn’t even hint that it was coming out.
Then on August 30 of 2024, Benoit released I Hear Thunder. They say that good things come to those who wait. For Benoit fans, the wait for a new studio album had been more than thirteen years. And when it finally arrived, it was very, VERY good.
Touring in support of the new album, last night Benoit and crew rolled into Boulder to play the historic Chautauqua Auditorium. That, too, was very, VERY good. Check that… it was freaking awesome.
Boulder was the second of three consecutive nights in Colorado for Benoit. The night before he played in Colorado Springs, and tonight he’s playing in Steamboat Springs. Fast forward a couple of months, Benoit will be returning to Colorado for shows in Fort Collins on September 12th, at the Ogden in Englewood on September 13th, and back in Colorado Springs on September 14th.
Six shows in a span of sixty days… in the Bayou they would call that some serious lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap). Lagniappe is a Cajun term that means “a little something extra.” It can be almost anything extra… a double helping of your favorite dessert, a free giveaway to entice a customer into a retail store, or anything in addition to what you were expecting. Benoit is touring, ergo, you expect he’ll make a stop in Colorado. Maybe a couple. But six? Lagniappe, baby.
Last night’s eleven-song, hour and thirty-minute set struck a perfect balance between material from the new album and Benoit classics. Five songs came from the new album, including “Why, Why,” “The Ghost of Gatemouth Brown,” “Bayou Man,” “Still Gray,” and the title track.
Backed by longtime bandmates Corey Duplechin on bass and Chip Vayenas on drums, Benoit took the stage at 8:30 pm, opening the set with two songs from the Medicine album – the title track, followed by the beautiful ballad “Nothing Takes the Place of You”. Although that tune is a cover from Toussaint McCall, it’s become such a staple of Benoit live performances that it’s pretty much become his own. It’s always a highlight of a Benoit live show, and last night was no exception. I’ve seen Benoit perform this song many times, but last night’s performance was by far the most soulful version I’ve ever heard from him.
One more classic – “Shelter Me” from 2007’s Power of the Pontchartrain – and the rest of the evening mostly belonged to the new album. I will say that I missed some of the classics. Missing from last night’s set were prior staples like “Darkness,” “Muddy Bottom Blues,” and “Night Train.” But there’s only so much that can fit into a setlist, and it was terrific to hear so much new material.
Besides “Nothing Takes the Place of You,” the highlight of the night had to be “Boat Launch Baby,” from 2003’s The Sea Saint Sessions. The rollicking, Cajun flavored butt shaker was the first song to bring the raucous Chautauqua crowd to their feet. Benoit did things with that trusty Telecaster that didn’t seem possible. I’ve seen some incredible string choking in my time, but nothing even close to this.
Closing the base set with three out of four songs from I Hear Thunder, Benoit, Duplechin and Vayenas left the stage for the obligatory two-minute off-stage break before returning for the encore. To the delight of the crowd, the band that returned was now a quartet, with Tim “Too Slim“ Langford (frontman for opening act Too Slim and the Taildraggers) joining on second lead guitar. The single song encore was the previously mentioned title track from the new I Hear Thunder album. The first time I listened to this (wait for it…) thundering blues rock anthem, and every time I’ve listened to it since, my immediate thought has been that it would have made a great Led Zeppelin tune. Last night’s version, with Langford and Benoit sharing lead duties, was absolutely killer.
Duplechin and Vayenas were exceptional all night long. Rhythm sections are often overlooked, but anybody who knows anything about how bands work knows that they are the glue that holds everything together. As masterful as Benoit is, he needs an equally masterful rhythm section behind him, to allow him to do what he does. Duplechin has been playing with Benoit for so long that knowledgeable members of his fanbase hold him in (nearly) the same esteem as they do Benoit himself.
And Benoit was… well, he was absolutely extraordinary. His playing has never been better, and his distinctive, soulful vocals were exceptional. Between songs he was playful, sharing stories about listening to KBCO during the early days of his career, and welcoming people seeing him for the first time to “the family.” He’s so authentic, and so charming… he always has the crowd eating out of his hand.
A big shoutout to the Chautauqua crowd… rowdy, engaged, and ready to party. You guys killed it. And a second shoutout to the Chautauqua Auditorium itself… definitely on the short list for the best live music venue in the Denver/Boulder area. If you haven’t seen a live show there, you owe it to yourself to correct that wrong.
Speaking of correcting wrongs… if you missed Benoit during this three-night swing through the Centennial State, put September 12th – 14th on your calendar. As mentioned above, he’ll be playing in Fort Collins, Denver (Englewood), and Colorado Springs on those nights. Go to Tab’s website (https://www.tabbenoit.com/tour/) and get yourself some tickets, people! You can thank me later.
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
