Dave Mason Band
03 July 2009
Cervantes Ballroom, Denver, CO
Once selling t-shirts advertising, "Always On Tour", Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Mason showed how he has been "rehearsing" for the last 40 or so years.
I've seen Dave now 4 times, spaced over 16 years. Tonight's performance differed for two main reason: 1. Gerald Johnson, who played on most of Dave's studio material in the 1970s, is now back in the band, and, 2. Dave has a relatively new album out for the first time in about 20 years.
That said, Mason performed many solo and Traffic tunes that have become concert favorites, including "World In Changes", "Let It Go, Let It Flow", "40,000 Headmen", "We Just Disagree", "Look At You Look At Me", ", "All Along The Watchtower", "Dear Mr. Fantasy", "Only You Know And I Know".
The addition of Gerald Johnson gave "Let It Go, Let It Flow", "We Just Disagree", and other songs a strong degree of sonic authenticity, given how he performed on the original studio versions of these and many other songs. Dave let Gerald take the lead vocal on a rendition of Jimmy Reed's classic blues number, "Baby What You Want Me To Do".
From the great new album 26 Letters - 12 Notes, Dave and Band, also featuring John Sambataro, showcased, "Good 2 U", "Let Me Go", and "Ain't Your Legs Tired Baby". I was hoping to hear "How Do I Get To Heaven" and "Pink Lipstick".
"Rock and Roll is an attitude, not an age!"
[****] - Steven T.
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