Buddy Guy Final
Damn Right Farewell Tour
AVA Amphitheatre
Tucson, Arizona
September 9, 2023
By Mary Andrews
Buddy Guy and opening act, Samantha Fish were doing their best to keep the blues alive in Tucson. Guy, the 87 year old legend, was determined to stand his ground and play music dating back to his early days in the 1950s. The Chicago bluesman has influenced everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and many more. He even played with Muddy Waters as a session musician. To this day, Guy plays with originality and a spark like no other guitarist.
Guy has had several opening acts during this tour. Samantha Fish opened for Guy tonight and she very pleasantly surprised many of the fans who were not familiar with Fish’s blues guitar. Fish was accompanied by Jesse Dayton and her band that seemed to add to the verosity of her one hour set. The set steamed with lots of gusto and high energy.
Even with Jesse Dayton on guitar and vocals, it was Fish’s show from the get go. The Kansas City native kicked out great arrangements of “Feelin’ Good,” “I’ll Be Here in the Morning,” “I Put a Spell on You,” and “Brand New Cadillac.” Many highlights during the set had fans out of their seats clapping and dancing. One must consider that at 800 pm, the temperature was well over 100 degrees. That didn’t keep Fish from delivering her best! Fish garnered many more new Tucson fans during this show.
It wasn’t any cooler during Guy’s set. However, Guy was as cool as a cucumber. He always seems to enjoy his shows as much as the crowd. When he decended on stage he stood momentarily so the fans could get a gander of his polka-dot guitar and shirt. Polka-dots seem to be ever present in his shows paying homeage to his late mother. He once promised her that he would buy her a polka-dot Cadillac when he made it big. That didn’t happen in time before her death. The presence of polka-dots in his show is the next best thing.
Guy started playing “Hoochie Coochie Man” and stopped and quipped, “I don’t come down to Tucson often, but when I do come, I don’t want you to f**k up this song.” That was Guy’s feisty mood for the evening. More remarks included “I can play something so funky, you can smell it.” No one doubted anything Guy had to say. His playful mood was accompanied by his legendary guitar playing. He paid reverence to the guitar legends from the past: BB King, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Bobby Rush, and Albert King. Some of the songs were only snippets instead of full versions. He laminted that they don’t play blues songs on the radio anymore.
There was the moment when he laid his guitar on one of the amps and played the strings with a drumstick. He still knows his way around the fretboard on a guitar better than most musicians. After a velvety version of “Fever,” Guy played a medley of tunes from Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”, and Hooker’s “Boom Boom.” Blues or no blues, Guy’s show are always uplifting for the rock and roll fans. The master bluesman is not to be missed.
Check out some of Samantha Fish moments on Unrated.
2017 Interview with Unrated
SAMANTHA FISH PLAYS THE TRALFS
Samantha Fish Plays Tucson, AZ
