There are a few iconic venues in the US, and ACL Live at The Moody Theater is surely one of them. The venue opened in 2011 and became the home of the classic music series Austin City Limits. When not filming episodes of the PBS television show, the venue hosts the best music has to offer. I made the trip from CT to cover Kenny Wayne Shepherd, one of my favorite artists, at this incredible venue, and it was an amazing show, well worth the trip!
The evening began with an incredible set from Samantha Fish and Austin native Jesse Dayton. The duo is touring behind their Grammy-nominated release Death Wish Blues and played a 12-song set that simply brought the house down!
I first discovered Samantha with her 2015 release Wild Heart and was instantly drawn to her unique playing style and use of a cigar box guitar. I wasn’t familiar with Jesse until this collaboration. Seeing the pair live is even better than listening to the record. The set featured covers from MC5, The Clash, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and others mixed with original music from their record.
Fish and Dayton are two of the best guitarists and vocalists in the blues rock genre. Watching them play off of each other both musically and vocally is a treat. Their styles and voices blend perfectly together. My pick for the highlight of the set was the stunning cover of “I Put A Spell On You”. Fish’s playing slid effortlessly from beautifully angelic to hellaciously devilish and brought the house down. Don’t miss this pair as they continue their tour.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the Kenny Wayne Shepherd band live many times over the years, it is always an incendiary, near-religious experience, but this night was something even more. Shepherd’s band, featuring Noah Hunt on vocals and guitar, Chris “Whipper” Layton on drums, Joe Krown on keys, Kevin McCormack on bass, and a 2-person brass section, has never sounded better. It should be noted that Hunt, one of the great modern blues vocalists, has been hampered by a respiratory illness over the past few shows and was not at 100%.
The moment the band took the stage you knew this was different from previous tours. The surprise opening cut of “Was”, a rarely performed deep cut from 1999’s Live On that hasn’t been played before this tour since 2000, was followed by two brand-new tracks “Dirt On My Diamonds” and “Sweet & Low”. Aside from the new songs, this show had a new feel. Perhaps because of Noah’s illness, Kenny spent more time addressing the crowd than he had previously and handled a majority of the vocals.
While Kenny’s playing is always flawless, it certainly felt like he was lifted to another level at The Moody. Perhaps playing in the hometown of his idol Stevie Ray Vaughen sparked Shepherd into another gear. The extended solos on “Heat of the Sun”, “Diamonds & Gold”, and, of course, “Voodoo Child” soared in a way that even Shepherd hasn’t done before. However, it was the instrumental “While We Cry” from 1995’s Ledbetter Heights that brought the crowd to its feet and nearly to tears. The gorgeous song, which carries a melody similar to the Allman Brothers classic “Soulshine”, was the emotional highpoint of the night.
The band played 3 tracks from the current record Dirt on My Diamonds, Vol. 1 (“You Can’t Love Me” was the third) and Shepherd mentioned that Vol. 2 is already done and will be released later this year. Shepherd noted that not everything the band does is traditional blues, but everything they do is rooted in the blues, and the current record is a perfect example. While more on the rock side of the blues rock genre, seeing the songs live, in the context of the rest of the band’s catalog, definitely brings the blues part forward.
ACL Live at The Moody Theater is a one-of-a-kind venue and Kenny Wayne Shepherd is a one-of-a-kind performer who, at only 46 years old, is nearly 30 years into his career. Shepherd’s idol (and Layton’s former bandmate) Stevie Ray Vaughen is the only “modern” (post-1980) blues artist inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In my opinion, as we see country, soul, and hip-hop artists being inducted regularly, it is time to look at people like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Joe Bonamassa for that honor. Both are exceptional musicians who have seen great success and help mentor the next generation, especially women, of blues artists.
