Live Reviews updated 03/11/01Live Reviews updated 03/11/01
This review is from Fred D. - THANKS!!
I just saw the most awesome WW show I've seen in quite some time. It was a clear, unseasonably warm,but still brisk, Chicago night, and it was a few months since Webb has played in the area, so there was a lot of pent up demand to see him. I know I was pretty pumped, I felt like Beavis on a sugar jag waiting for him to hit the stage. The place was packed. Kevin Gordon opened for him with the NashVegans backing him up. He did a couple of songs about cars and girls. Hmm, why hasnât anyone thought of that before? But seriously, I never heard him before but I liked him a lot. Somebody said his voice reminded them of a John Hiatt/Elvis Costello hybrid. Apparently there is some close connection with these two bands since Kevin was using Webbâs band. He sings with a warm emotional voice with intelligent heartfelt lyrics. The songs rock too. Here are a few I remember:
Cadillac Jackâs Number One Son Evan Pick Up The Line Oil City Girl Deuce And A Quarter - this song was dedicated to the finest car thatâs ever been made, the Buick Electra 225, and thatâs a fact jack.
Kevin's set was pretty well received by the crowd, they were clamoring for an encore, but I figured that wasnât gonna happen because the NashVegans were going to need to rest up before their long set with Webb. After a short intermission, Webb hit the stage to a thunderous ovation, and he opened with "Honky-Tonk Hell." Here's what I remember of the set list:
Honky-Tonk Hell
Golfinger
The Olde Elephant Man
Iâm Burning
How Long Can She Last (Goinâ That Fast) - Webb prefaced this song by
saying that the Plymouth Duster was not exactly a muscle car, but it was
pretty darn fast. You know, I myself, this is me speaking, knew a guy
that had a 60âs era Duster with a 340 semi-hemi engine, a six-pack carb,
and duel exhaust, and it was the fastest car I ever been in, but I
digress.
No Great Shakes
Poolside
Carryinâ The News To Mary - this song was dedicated to anyone that's
ever had a bad experience on a horse.
Short On Love
Meet The New Landlord
Sputnik
The Rest Will Take Care Of Itself- Webb picked up the capo'd Flying V
for this one and said, "this ain't the kind of guitar you would expect
somebody to pick up to do a ballad." It was out of tune, so he said,
"excuse while I tune up folks, my guitar tech decided to take off early
for Christmas, about 5 years early. Man, I bet Neil Young don't have to
put up with this shit."
Human Cannonball
Hittinâ Where It Hurts
I'm A Lover Not A Fighter- this song was "dedicated to the late great
Rick Danko, a guy who knew how to have a good time." This was the
extended jam version of the song with the segue into "Who Do You Love."
It brought the house down.
Flat Out Get It
Tough It Out
Webb also did quite a few covers in the show. There were two slow country weepers that I'm not sure I knew the name of. The first one had a line in it that sorta went like, "Just because I asked a friend about her, she thinks I still care." I'm thinking maybe this was a Freddy Fender tune, but I'm not sure, it did sound real familiar though. The next one sounded familiar too. It was a song about some guy that would rather be blind or paralyzed instead of loosing this girl, the name of that one escapes me too. During the encore, he did a slow rocker that a friend of mine said was called "Groovy Ruby". I never heard that one before though. He also covered "It Takes Time" by Otis Rush and "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker. There were also a coupla false starts, "Last Train To Clarkesville" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."
The biggest surprise of the evening was a pretty unusual cover selection, "Take Five" by Dave Brubek with a segue into "(You Give Me) Fever." I know Buddy Guy has covered Fever, but the first person I remember doing it was Peggy Lee. Webb also did "Rock Rock Rudolf", which I thought was pretty cool.
The second biggest surprise were the two Stones covers. I know there was some discussion here before about which Stones songs Webb should cover, but when they played the distinctive four opening notes of "Sway" it just seemed perfect. This cover kicked ass man. Webb always knows best. They immediately went into "Jumping Jack Flash" at the end of "Sway."
Now about the recording thing. Several people yelled suggestions to Webb that he do a live album, but he didn't respond to them. I talked to the sound guy and asked him if he ever made tapes from his board. He said sometimes he does, but not that night because he left the "Twinplex (?) at the office Christmas party. He did say that, several times, he has suggested to Webb to bring a 16 track recorder to the show, he would make the tapes for him, give him all the masters to take back with him to Nashville or whatever, and he would have complete control over them and could do with them as he saw fit. He was in agreement with me that the best way to hear Webb is live, especially at a place that has the sound quality of FitzGerald's. He said Webb has been noncommittal about this matter.
This drunk guy was yelling for Webb to do the Credo. Webb did it, but then came up with a holiday season variation:
Work hard, Wrap hard, Pay bills, and take Tums if you need 'em.
He also said if anyone was interested in joining him for the New Year's festivities, he would be playing in Lima, Ohio. "How do you say that? Is it Lie-ma or Lee-ma?"
Some Guy: "Come play in my backyard!"
Webb: "What it does it pay?"
Some Guy: "What do you need?"
Some Other Guy: "Yeah Webb, what do you need?"
Webb: "Salvation."
This review is from Steve K. - THANKS!!
Anyone who missed the Down Home shows in Johnson City on July 16, 17, really missed what Webb is all about. The shows had all the ingredients of Webb at his best...LARGE and appreciative crowds, good mix of Webb's influences in the music, interaction with the crowd, and a rockin good time! I drove from Orlando, FL to see the shows and there were also people from Madison, WI who came to see Webb because we heard this was the best place to see him. Webb told me that he usually played 2 nights at the Down Home because it was one of the first places he played and they were always good to him. It was evident during the show that he enjoyed being there, and the crowd enjoyed seeing him. Here's a recap of the Sat. night show.
Kevin Gordon opened the show. He's a very talented singer/songwritwer. He started solo and slowly got help from various members of the Nashvegans during his set. A good opening act.
Then the last of the full grown men started off with the Olde Elephant Man, a frequent show kicker offer. Then into No Great Shakes, during which Webb informed us that we were tuned into W.E.B.B. Then the first instrumental, Goldfinger (of course Webb substituted Webb Wilder in the lyrics for Goldfinger). Then the band tore into How Long Can She Last (Going That Fast) and The Rest (Will Take Care Of Itself) which took care of the parenthesis songs :). I think the next song was Sugar Coated Love (sorry, not sure) but Webb did declare that they "were hangin in there like a hair in a biscuit", and "sometimes life is colder than a mother-in law's kiss". Next was one of my favorites, Meet Your New Landlord. Next was Carryin' The News To Mary featuring some rockin guitar work by Webb and Joe McMahan on the Wah-Wah pedal. Next was Short On Love and then a cover of La Grange (a howhowhowhow). Human Cannonball was the last song before the break and the crowd was really ROCKIN on this one!
After the break the guys came back strong with Poolside, then 3 more great songs..King Of The Hill, Devil's Right Hand, and Hittin' Where It Hurts. Then came a cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash which went out to William Perks (??). The next song was also a cover (sorry, don't know the name) with the lyrics "four walls around me" and "honkey tonk angel". Next, Webb hit the Big Time. Then Kevin Gordon came back out to join in on Walk That Walk and all the boys did some great jamming as they worked into Train Kept A Rolling, featuring some really tasty slide guitar work by J.B.M! Kevin departed and the band did a variation of Johhny B Goode and Route 66. Webb then confessed that "I'm not supposed to be out right now, they usually keep me in the lawnmower shop" . Was that a Slingblade reference? Alright then. But that led into Slow Death. Then the old Marty Robbins hit Singin The Blues.
After that Steve Ebe stepped out and Bryan Adams stepped in. I understand he is going to fill in on drums for some of the tour. So they initiated him with Flat Out Get It. Finally they started winding it up with Tough It Out and last, Lover Not A Fighter. Of course the crowd was going bonkers and there's no way they would let them quit. So, the encore began with a quirky song (but that's Webb for you) There Is A Mountain (circa 1969? by Donovan). You know, first there is a mountain, then there isn't, then there is.....cool. And last but not least..Who Do You Love!!!! A great show ender! There you have it. A LOT of music featuring some of Webb's diverse influences; Marty Robbins, Billy Gibbons, Steve Earle, Chuck Berry, Jagger/Richards and of course the great R.S. Fields.
This is from your friend in Webb, Fred D.
Tout de Famille de Wit got a chance to see WW at The Sheffield Garden Walk yesterday, and I gotta tell ya, it was awesome. The Garden Walk is an annual street festival in Chicago, they close off several city blocks just outside of the confines of the DePaul University campus. They sell food from booths - your typical North Shore Chicago cuisine, tofu pad thai, veggie tempura, chicken satay, portobello mushroom sandwiches etc., - and beer and wine - Rolling Rock¨ (ack!) and Merlot or Chardonnay. They set up a music stage about half way down the street on Webster (yeah really, Webster street!), and it takes up the street from curb to curb. They had a really serious sound system set up, they had stacks of speakers stage left and stage right and the amps and mixers looked like they had cables routed through them the circumference of a baby's arm. Further down the block at the intersection of Webster and Kenmore, they had scaffolding set up with more stacks of speakers on both sides of the street. The sound pressure levels were on the rattling-your-fillings-loose-blowing-back-your-hair-punching-you-in-the-gut scale.
There were a lot of fellow Webbheads there, Linda, Kibokid, Bad Bob, Chris and family , Tim and family, nameless others, all waiting in eager anticipation of Webb's arrival. He arrived in true rock star fashion, in a long black Lincoln¨ stretch limo. I followed the limo to the backstage area and was stopped by security,
"Whoa dude, you can't come back here", as he placed a restraining hand on my chest, but then he looked at my WW hat and Acres t-shirt and said, "Ah what the hell, you look like a big fan, go ahead, but make it brief." Consequently, I was right there as Webb stepped out of the limo and I shook his hand. I said, "Hi Webb, you've gotta really loud sound system going for you." He said, "That's great." I said, "Webb, are you still doing that DJ thing in Nashville? Is that gonna be like a regular gig for you?" He said, "Yeah I'm still doing it." I said, "You should tell them to put it in on the web, so we can hear you up here." He said, "Hmm, yeah, I'll look into that, excuse me, I really got to get something to eat, I'm starving."
At this point he was surrounded by DJs and promoters and gophers and stage hands etc. and the security guy indicated that I should leave now. I went post haste to stage front and watched as the band set up. I asked Tim's little girl what her favorite Webb song was. She was real a cute little waif, so I thought the incongruity was kinda amusing when she said in a small voice, "Every Day I Kick Myself". Webb brought his Custom HiWatt¨, and plugged in with his profusely autographed guitar (I believe Chet Atkins and Duanne Eddy were two of the autographs), and soon they were into the show. I remember the first three tunes in order were:
The Olde Elephant Man
No Great Shakes
Goldfinger
At this point Webb surveyed the crowd and said, "This is great, nothing but people for as far as I can see." Which was true, since as soon as Webb started, the people crowded up to the front of the stage, filling the whole block, from curb to curb, out past the intersection of Webster and Kenmore, and well down what must have been another city block full of people. I'm not very good at crowd estimates, but I'm thinking the size of the crowd had to be in the several thousands range, which I might add, could all hear the music perfectly because of the enormous volume of the sound system. The band was introduced as Tom Comet on bass, Joe McMahon on lead, Bryan Owings ("recently returned from the continent") on drums, and WW on lead. I'm not so sure of the order or completeness of rest of the set list:
Honky Tonk Hell
Carryin' The News To Mary
Meet The New Landlord
Sputnik
Hittin' Where It Hurts
Flat Out Get It
The Rest Will Take Care Of Itself
Sugar Coated Love
I Ride An Old Paint?
How Long Can She Last (Going That Fast)
I'm A Lover Not A Fighter
Tough It Out
Jumping Jack Flash
During this song, two young scantily clad female fans rushed on stage,
flanked Webb on either side and began dancing in a sixties Go-Go girl
like fashion, much to the crowd's amusement. Security was making a move
to remove them from the stage when Webb waved them off, then at the
conclusion of the song, he points individually to each girl with an
outstretched hand and says, "Ladies and Gentleman, I give you the
Webbettes!"
This was supposed to be the end of the show, since Webb had said they needed to catch the last flight out of Midway, the MC said, "Webb has left the building." But the clamor of the crowd for an encore was so great, that they returned to the stage and the MC said "Well, I guess not, he's back for one more." Which was:
Slow Death
Oddly, he didn't play "Human Cannonball", even though WXRT-FM had been promoting the show all week, and had used this song to hype the show in their adds. They also played it, in it's entirety, several times during the week, and on the morning of the show too, as well as "Loud Music", and "Tough It Out".
When he was leaving, my daughter ran up to him, he bent down and hugged her and said, "It's really nice to see young people, such as yourself, coming out to see my shows." She was all excited and telling us, "I got Webb's sweat on me! I got Webb's sweat on me!"
He rolled down the limo's window and waved to us as he headed off into the sunset, which was west on Webster, then turning south toward what I presume was Midway airport via I-94.
Thanks to Jeff L. for the review!
It took years, but I *finally* got to see Webb live. Here's my story; hope you enjoy it.
Twice in the past year, I thought I was finally going to see WW in St. Louis. One show was mysteriously canceled, the next was a nasty hail/freezing rain/snow-out. Third time's a charm, they say, so I was in a great mood all day Friday.
I'd never been to Off Broadway, the venue that would be hosting Webb, so I didn't know what to expect. It's in a nice old neighborhood across the highway from the Anheuser Busch Brewery and was easy to find. Easy to park, too: pulled right up and parked at the curb two car-lengths from the door. "Where is everybody?" my wife asked. Well, the shows don't start until "after 9:00 PM", and we had arrived at 7, when the doors open. My wife was expecting a long line! Two hours early--was I eager or what? Yes, but we also were meeting friends for dinner.
Anyway, I dashed from the car, took a deep breath, and swung open the door. Insufferable smart-alec that I am, I greeted the doorman thus: "Hey, it looks like it could rain a little. Did Webb cancel again?" And then I turned to see... Webb. Right there on the stage, unpacking some gear. I prayed that he didn't hear me.
I dashed back outside, nearly knocking my wife down in the process. I stammered, "He's here! Gotta get my CDs!" This was too good to be true--a chance to talk to The Man.
Our friends were pulling up as I retrieved my CD collection. They must have noticed the manic look in my eye and gave me a wide berth as I re-entered the club.
Webb saw me standing by the stage, came over, and I asked if he'd be good enough to sign my CDs. He fanned my stack and said, "Hmm. A *real* fan!" (I've got 'em all...)
He came down and sat at the bar, and signed EACH of my CD's liners. Then I told him that our daughter always requests "Tell Me Why, Charlene" when we're in the car. He took the "spare" piece of the CD materials (the little sheet you get when you pry the jewel case apart) from Acres of Suede, and signed "To Leigh, your pal, Webb". I thanked Webb as he excused himself "to get back to business."
After dinner, we made it back to Off Broadway right at 9 and ordered a round. And another. And another. The key word in the phrase "shows start after 9" is the word "after"! I was a little disappointed in the size of the crowd. We'll call it 50 but I think that's maybe optomistic--would have been nice to have more there. (And no dancing! Well, one couple went out for a dance for a bit, but other than that it was a sit-down affair. Sigh. Do they boogie at Fitzgerald's?)
At 9:58 the band came out and moved toward the stage. Webb appeared and headed toward the bar, with a squeeze bottle of honey in his hand. Gads! He's drinking hot tea with honey! Know what that means? Voice problems! Ooh...
I shouldn't have worried.
With little fanfare the band took the stage, tuned guitars one last time, and launched into Goldfinger... punctuated with a nifty hat twirl, and some almost Michael Jackson-ish body and head moves. Awesome!
Full set list below; but here's some other thoughts I jotted down:
Sputnik was a most welcome surprise. I love the instrumentals Webb's recorded (I only hope there's at least one on the next album), and Sputnik's my favorite. I didn't expect it at all. But how do you pull it off without synthesizers? Easy--feedback! Webb and Joe (his lead guitarist) finished off the song before and slid straight into Jimi Hendrix-style feedback, bouncing back and forth. I never saw Sputnik coming... but it was perfect.
Joe (last name lost thanks to Budweiser) told me during the break that he'd not played on any of Webb's albums, but came in after Acres. I'm pretty sure he said the same was true for the bass player and drummer. I must say that all the band did an *excellent* job of walking a fine line between playing guitar riffs and drum parts true to the recordings, and at the same time cutting loose. Too much of either can sometimes spoil a live show, IMHO. No worries here--it was great. Sorry I didn't get the bassist or drummer's name. Next time, I promise!)
Before Human Cannonball, Webb remarked about "a $90,000 video in the can somewhere". So you all talking about that fabled copy floating around? Now you know how much it cost!
Before the second set, Webb raised a fresh cup of tea, and referred to his voice being a little off. "Man, this pollen! You're seeing Peter Pollen Mary!" I thought he sounded fine.
Before the encore, Webb introduced the song "It Takes Time" as being by Grammy winner Otis Rush (?). Sorry, I haven't watched the Grammys since grade school. But maybe I should start. A great song, and I wrote in my notes, "Webb is a no-shit good R&B guitarist. Great solo!"
First Set:
Goldfinger
Ye Old Elephant Man
No Great Shakes
Sugar Coated Love
Honky-Tonk Hell
The Rest Will Take Care Of Itself (Webb called it "Our philosophical
song")
Sputnik
How Long Can She Last (Goin' That Fast)?
with "Give My Love to Rose" interlude
I'm Burnin'
Human Cannonball
Second Set:
Meet Your New Landlord
Carryin' The News to Mary
King Of The Hill
Poolside
Lover Not A Fighter
Hittin' Where It Hurts
Sittin' Pretty
(a few bars of Color My World!)
Sea Cruise (wasn't on the "official" set list)
Flat Out Get It
Never Stopped Rockin' (?)
Tough It Out
Encore:
It Takes Time (Otis Rush?)
Stay Out Of Automobiles
To round out my collection of souveniers, I picked up a few t-shirts, snagged the first and second set list sheets off the stage, and managed to catch the first guitar pick Webb tossed to the crowd. With all the autographs, it was a good haul and a real set of treasures.
Next morning, Leigh was about speechless when she saw her special autograph from Webb. She said, "We HAVE to get a frame for this!" What a cool 10-year-old!