Steve's
Place
Totally
Sold
Picture
the scene. There’s a man standing on a staircase holding a hand-written
sign aloft towards the crowded bar below. It reads ‘1 or 2 tickets required’.
Just like
last night, I notice a marked change in the crowd. Is this a function of
the venues selected or has Robin Trower suddenly begun to breakthrough
to the breadth and diversity of audience he so richly deserves in his own
country?
Musically,
tonight’s revelation is Glenn Letsch. I am stationed right in front of
him for most of the show, watching his every move.
Put simply,
Glenn Letsch is the ‘King of the Dance’. No, I don’t mean actual dancing
but dancing bass lines. A very good example of this is the ‘James Brown’
quality to his playing on ‘Victims of the Fury’. Tonight, this approach
really lifts the hit single Robin Trower never had.
There’s
raw power and light / shade in abundance throughout the set. The secret,
I suspect, is great musicianship, great songs and refreshingly, a spirit
that, in fact, less is actually more.
The whole
set is a massive success with tonight’s audience. Their warm and vocal
applause is infectious and really gives Pete, Glenn, Davey and Robin a
huge lift. The sound quality is absolutely crystal clear from pretty much
everywhere in the hall. This is one of the best shows I have ever seen.
This is
Alan Howard for ‘Steve’s Place’ reporting from the Phoenix, Exeter in south
west England. 9 May 2008.
