Lonesome George Thorogood was anything but lonesome when he and the Destroyers brought their Baddest Show on Earth tour to Albany’s Palace Theatre on Tuesday, September 16 where they were embraced by thousands of their adoring fans.
Thorogood, dressed in black with his signature black and white head band and white wrist bands, strutted out to the front of the stage with his black, hollow body Epiphone guitar and launched into “Rock Party” to set the tone, and the expectation, for the night.
Unlike many other performers, Thorogood appears to love interacting with his fans throughout the performance. He spends the majority of his time at the very front edge of the stage, allowing the audience members to witness his amazing guitar work up-close and personal. He poses for selfies without missing a note, dances with women, fist bumps the men and even “anoints” fans with the head of his guitar.
Audience members delighted in singing along with “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”. At the start of “Gear Jammer” Thorogood was greeted by a stage hand with a shot glass containing brown liquid. After downing it he feigned a choke and a gag and then exclaimed “That’s tea! I can’t handle my tea very well.”
It was also at the start of “Gear Jammer” that Thorogood switched to his signature white hollow-body Epiphone guitar nicknamed “White Fang” when he also brought out the slide and cranked up the distortion.
He introduced “Get a Hair Cut” by stating he was now going to do a sophisticated song. When wrapping up the song which tells the tale of besting his big brother Bob by sticking to rock-n-roll instead of getting a ‘real job’, Thorogood kidded the audience by asking, “How does it feel to be seventeen years old again?”
The night began with an opening performance by Canyon Lights, a power trio out of Boston fronted by guitarist Pat Faherty and drummer Tim Carman. They were joined on stage by Matt Murphy on bass.
Canyon Lights are a self-described blend of throwback rock n’ roll, swampy Americana, and heavy blues. Their debut album Breathe Easy was release just two weeks ago to rave reviews. During breaks between their songs, Pat encouraged the audience to visit their merch table after the show to help support the fledgling band. Referring to his prominent Afro he stated, “This hair doesn’t take care of itself!”
Setlist Canyon Lights: Seventh Son, Let Me In, Late to the Ball, Love Me Sweetly, Running Wild, There’s a Song Behind Those Tears, Moving Down, Walk Away (James Gang cover), Codeine and Caffeine (Pat Faherty solo), Over the Moon, Breathe Easy
Setlist George Thorogood: Eve of Destruction (recording); Rock Party; Who Do You Love? (Bo Diddley cover); Mama Talk to Your Daughter (JB Lenoir cover); I Drink Alone; On Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer (Amos Milburn cover); Cocaine Blues (dedicated to Johnny Cash); Gear Jammer; Get a Hair Cut; Bad to the Bone; Gloria (Then cover) Move It On Over
Encore: Born To Be Bad (w/ Pat Faherty), Star Spangled Banner (recording)
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