Here are comments on last Sunday nights Mavericks show at the Pageant in St. Louis (photos posted below; most of this review was placed on raulmalo before the holiday). Sinners and Saints began with a blowout trumpet solo by Paul Armstrong. The Voice on Angel Flying Too Close was sublime, Raul airing it out totally. Dance in the Moonlight is country music right out of Havana, and is (this week) my favorite tune on In Time. Most weeks it is (sometimes Born to Be Blue or Come Unto Me stick their noses in). Everyone took a really tasty solo. Michael Guerra played lead guitar licks on the Hohner again--that is SO great to hear, or as I think when I hear him playing that way, This isnt Myron Florens accordion!. As Long As Theres Loving was another instrumental tour de force, a fun, fun tune off In Time. Raul and the band then took a short break and he returned solo with Please Heart Forgive Me, when his vocal soared over the acoustic guitar, all the way above the Moonrise Hotel next door! The band returned for Blue Moon, which Raul performed Apollo 13-style, just amazing. Those two vocals were IMO the best all night. Max Abrams blew a smoky, jazzy tenor solo on Blue Moon; which fit perfectly with Rauls vocals. It was warm in the Pageant--that was about the time Raul rolled up his sleeves. Hed ditched his jacket a few songs earlier. O What a Thrill was played lente, opening differently than Id ever heard it (it worked just fine), followed by Guantanamera/Twist and Shout. Thats a favorite medley by Raul; hes been doing it for a number of years, most often playing a 12-string, either acoustic or electric. Here he used his regular acoustic which sounded just fine. Of course, the Spanish half of the medley was great (hes the only one who can make it cool to listen to una... rosa blanca!) and the Beatles half was a sing-along by 800 (the place wasnt completely full; considering the circumstances, the crowd was pretty good). Dance the Night Away. People did. Youve all been there. Nuff said. I Said I Love You was the third of Rauls greatest solo hits. I had with me three people who had never heard Raul live, and all were shaking their heads by that time. Needless to say, all were stunned and amazed, and are converts. The band left the stage at that point. When they returned for the encore, Cest La Vie featured a dance and a Jerry Lee-style solo by Jerry Dale, then a stage-right duck walk by Mr. Eddie, finely attired in his Zorro outfit. What a great piece and tribute, only a couple of blocks down Delmar Boulevard from the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Berry still performs once a month. Come Unto Me with its dramatic chorus and blazing closing trumpet solo was incredible. Raul promised one more (there was a curfew on both the concert and clearing the building) and ended with All You Ever Do. How can an encore be any better than those three songs? Cant be better. What fun! We hope to see Raul soon back in the Louie!
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 02:00:40 +0000
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