Dr John 8/3/2015

It had been a while since we saw Dr John and his age was highlighted when we saw him being helped up the few stairs to the stage with the aid of two sticks and two people. However once on stage and in sight of the audience he shed the years and seemed to glide over to the piano. He was playing with a four-piece backing band, organ, drums, bass and trombone and what a great band they were. The drummer was effortlessly perfect, playing straight from the central nervous system and the organ player, Rhoda Scott was a joy to listen to. Dr John also played effortlessly the fingers dancing over the piano keyboard with no sign at all that he was in his mid seventies. The set was also pretty much to my taste with a good sprinkling of old stuff such as 'Walk on Gilded Splinters' and 'Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya' both classics from the late 60s and early 70s when I first started listening to him. There were other notable songs from later such as 'Right Place, Wrong Time' and 'Such a Night' as well as a Louis Armstrong cover and 'Goodnight Irene'. Rhoda Scott was great on that track as well. But the songs I didn't recollect or know were also perfectly accessible played with that dynamic, bluesy, boogieish style he has on the piano. I particularly liked 'The Monkey Speaks Its Mind' and 'Motherless Children' but it was all good from start to finish. The gig was stopped about 90 minutes in as there was a set finish time but it was quality from minute one.