Jimmie Vaughan's 2014 Tour brought him to New Hampshire and Massachusetts recently for a couple of sold out shows. I attended the show at Tupelo Music Hall In Londonderry, NH. He is so darn good that even other guitarists want to go and see him play. International guitar legend Ronnie Earl took in the show at The Bull Run in Shirley, MA with my friend and local guitar legend Larry Lusignan.
My night started at 7Star Pizza & Restaurant located at 235 Main St,
Nashua, NH, with my friend Kevin the Poolbuilder. 7 Star is always a fun place
to go. They have a tremendous owner named Nick and a kitchen staff filled with
a bunch of great guys. All of the bartenders are friendly and beautiful. The
food is great, there are sports on the 4 TV's, and a jukebox. What else do you
need? After preparing for the show at the 7 Star, we took off to the Tupelo.
The Tupelo has a
little beer and wine cave downstairs, so we headed down there to get some
beverages so as not to dehydrate during the show. I got there just in time as
one of the younger patrons was having a difficult time locating the domestic
beer that he needed. Thankfully I was able to help him right away and guided
him to the proper area. He was very appreciative. It made me feel good to help
out the youngster and share some of the wisdom that I have acquired.
Most of you know Jimmie Vaughan's story. Older brother to the late Stevie
Ray Vaughan and also founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. He also
survived a heart attack in January 2013, which you would never know by watching
him perform now. Jimmie takes his time putting out new music since he began his
solo career. Five cd's in 20 years I think is the pace he is on. I believe his
last two were his best two. In 2010 he released "Plays Blues, Ballads, and
Favorites" and then followed that up in 2011 with "Plays More Blues,
Ballads, and Favorites." He really seems to have found his niche playing
the music that he listened to growing up in Texas. The choices of songs fit his
voice and guitar style perfectly. He has always seemed to use a less is more
approach to his guitar playing, much like BB King.
His show was rocking from the start with his fabulous "Tilt-A-Whirl
Band" backing him him up. He also had his frequent guest singer and
Vaughan family friend, Lou Ann Barton with him. She brings some grit and sass
with her to the stage. Her voice is also perfect for the material and contrasts
nicely to Jimmie's vocals.
I was clapping along so much to with the songs that I felt like one of those
windup monkeys with the cymbals on its hands. There is a chance that those
monkeys have more rhythm than I do.
In a poignant moment of the night, Jimmie performed the "Six Strings
Down" by himself as a tribute to his late brother. The only thing that
possibly could have made the show even better was if they played "Like It
Like That, which is one of my personal favorites. I included the link to that
song below for my own selfish reasons. I recommend seeing him in concert if you
get the chance. He is a Blues legend in my book.
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