Gary Clark Jr. 2018 Tour

All Across the Universe with Gary Clark Jr. 2018 Tour

20 Monroe Live, Grand Rapids, MI, USA, September 10, 2018

by Doug Hardesty

Performing in front of an energetic sold-out crowd at 20 Monroe Live in Grand Rapids, Michigan Gary Clark Jr. again proved that he is one of the best young guitar talents in the country.

Career

Clark started performing at an early age and played at the famous Antone’s Nightclub in Austin while still in high school. Clark was Influenced by Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmie Vaughan, and other classic bluesmen. He spent years honing his craft, playing locally in Texas and Louisiana.

Clark received an invitation from Eric Clapton to play at the 2010 Crossroads Guitar Festival alongside B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and others. Clark used this critical opportunity to display his guitar and songwriting skills to a national audience.

Clark’s career continued to progress. He has opened for the Dave Matthews Band, Rolling Stones, and Clapton among others. His music has been featured in many films and commercials. He won a Grammy in 2013 for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Now thirty-four years old, Gary Clark Jr. has produced four studio albums, Blak and Blu (2012) and The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015) being the most popular. He has also published two live collections – Gary Clark Jr. – Live (2014) and Live / North America 2016. Featured on the Justice League movie soundtrack, Clark’s 2017 cover version of Beatles 1969 hit “Come Together,” is his first high-chart Billboard single.

The Show

Clark walked onto the 20 Monroe Live stage accompanied by band members Johnny Radelat (drums), Johnny Bradley (bass), King Zapata (guitar), and Jon Deas

(keyboards). Wearing his trademark fedora, dark sunglasses, and with a bright red Epiphone hollow body guitar draped over his shoulder, Clark looked the part of a seasoned blues master ready for action.

The evening started with a spectacular version of the Robert Petway classic, “Catfish Blues.” The classic Petway original later made famous by Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix allowed Clark to highlight both his guitar skills and powerful voice.

The band continued the nearly two-hour set with “Ain’t Messin ‘Round,” “Travis County,” “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” and “When My Train Pulls In,” all from Gary’s 2012 album Blak and Blu.

The middle of the set included new music, “Our Love,” “Walk Alone,” “When I’m Gone,” and “Low Down Rolling”; songs that will likely appear on Clark’s yet to be released 5th

studio album This Land.

King Zapata, another Austin native, provided many highlights during the performance. With his shaved head, dark sunglasses, and long blue cape, Zapata would reside in the shadows then step to the front stage, as he did during “Don’t Owe You a Thang,” and augment Clark’s performance with short, powerful guitar solos.

As the crowd sang “You’re going to know my name by the end of the night,” Clark and the band hammered out an extended version of “Bright Lights,” probably Clark’s most popular original song. His playing is full-bodied and robust. No background stories or humor, just pure guitar joy.

Clark closed the show with a pounding futuristic rendition of “Come Together” which featured a wailing guitar solo as the sold-out crowd sang along.

Donald Fagen, of Steely Dan, wrote in his book Eminent Hipsters, “When everything’s working right, you become transfixed by the notes and the chords and the beautiful spaces in between. In the center of it, with the drums, bass, and guitar all around you, the earth falls away, and it’s just you and your crew creating this forward motion, this undeniable, magical stuff that can move people to snap free of life’s miseries and feel just fine.” Fagen’s quote is a perfect description of Gary Clark Jr.’s Grand Rapids performance.

20 Monroe Live 20 Monroe Live opened in 2017. It is located in the heart of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The venue features a general admission standing room floor and reserved mezzanine seating. Concert capacity is 2600.

Setlist

September 10th Setlist: Catfish Blues; Ain’t Messin ‘Round; Travis County; Next Door Neighbor Blues; When My Train Pulls In; Our Love; Cold Blooded; Walk Alone; When I’m Gone; Low Down Rolling; Don’t Owe You a Thang; Bright Lights; Things Are Changing; 3 O’clock Blues; Come Together.

 

Website | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter |

[srizonfbalbum id=394]