Bluesmen show genre is thriving

Tuesday night’s Rockin’ Blues Revue was, in part, a demonstration of why activity is beneficial for senior citizens.

The revue’s headliner, John Mayall, has enjoyed a distinguished 40-year career. The “Godfather of British Blues” could enjoy retirement at his Laurel Canyon home in California, but instead the 71-year-old and his backing band, the Bluesbreakers, still hit the road for 100 dates a year.

When he strolled onto the Hutchins Concert Hall stage early in the second half of the revue, Mayall, wearing a festive guayabera shirt over white slacks, could have been mistaken for a lost resident of Boca or Sun City.

But Mayall quickly dispelled any such notion with a blast of his harmonica and his urgent vocals as he and the Bluesbreakers launched into “Road Dogs,” the title cut from his latest Eagle Records album.

Mayall, whether providing lead vocals or playing harmonica, keyboards or electric guitar, was the most animated performer on the bill. He’s seen a lot of changes through the decades, but he still knows how to command an audience. And the 1,334 in attendance at the Maine Center for the Arts rewarded him with several standing ovations.

Mayall and company mined “Road Dogs” for much of their one hour, 15-minute set, with the standout cuts being “Chaos in the Neighborhood,” about the deterioration of the inner cities, and “To Heal the Pain,” about America’s wounded national psyche. They also played older favorites, including “Walking on Sunset” and their traditional show closer, “Room to Move.”

Bassist Hank Van Sickle and drummer Joe Yuele provided a rock-hard foundation over which Mayall and lead guitarist Hank Whittington created virtuosic solos. This quartet has been together for years, and it shows in the tightness of their playing.

The revue’s first two performers were a contrast in style. Opening the evening was W.C. Handy and Grammy nominee Eric Bibb, who showed what one man with an acoustic guitar could do with the blues. During his half-hour set, Bibb, wearing his trademark bolero hat, enthusiastically and skillfully performed his own compositions and covers that he made his own, as he paid tributes to those that inspired him. These included “Kokomo,” his song, which Mayall recorded about a blues musician who meets an early end, and “Tell Riley,” about the legendary B.B. King.

The night’s second performer, Robben Ford, revealed that an electric guitar could pour out the blues. Backed by the Bluesbreakers in his half-hour set, Ford coaxed the blues out of his instrument on such songs as the instrumental “Indianola” (another tribute to King) and Willie Dixon’s “It Don’t Make Sense (You Can’t Make Peace).”

Mayall’s regular set closed with Ford and Bibb back on stage for Bibb’s “Don’t Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down.” The evening revealed that there is room enough in the tent that is the blues for everybody, regardless of a performer’s approach. Perhaps that’s why the genre has not just endured, but also thrived.

Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 and dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.