Bonnie in total control
by PickerDad on 2023-09-08Queen Elizabeth Theatre - VancouverRating: 5 out of 5I saw Bonnie on Sept. 3 at the QE Theatre here in Vancouver. It was simply a wonderful experience.
I've been a fan of Bonnie since the early 70s in Toronto, and I've seen her a couple of times before in Vancouver, the last was before Covid. She's a bit older, but as good as I've ever seen her. The voice is still solid, and -no surprise- her guitar work is impeccable. I managed to score a seat front row centre of the orchestra. I was able to hear not only every note she played and sang, but also a fair bit of the chatter within the band. They're a really tight group and obviously love each other. It was a smaller band than I've seen before, but these five guys were obviously hand picked. I'd say they gave Bonnie the best backup ever. Duke Levine on guitar does much more than just backup and fills; he complements and inspires Bonnie's guitar work. There's a musical conversation going on between them. Ricky Fataar from South Africa brings a whole new rhythmic foundation. James "Hutch"Hutchinson on bass lays down the groove, as he has done for over 40 years with Bonnie. Glenn Patscha from Winnipeg on piano gives the band a shape that the others can groove to. That's the whole band, and it cooks! Roy Rogers (yeah, that's really his name), an old friend of Bonnie's, was the warm-up act and joined the rest for the encore. As expected for one of Bonnie's posse, he's an authentic blues man with deep roots. His guitar work is deeply rooted, but he adds a tone and style that I've never heard before. Check him out.
Bonnie chose songs from throughout her long career, so lots were familiar, but a lot were new (to me). It seems she's done a lot of recording in the last few years, when she couldn't get out on the road. I'm definitely going to order some of the recent albums. Check out the set list online to see which songs she chose for the concert.
Our city figured prominently in the show. Bonnie was glad to get out of the insanity in the US, and has always loved playing in Canada, Vancouver in particular. She treated us like old friends, not just paying customers. There was a lot of friendly banter back and forth with the audience. She's picked up on the exciting developments among our indigenous peoples that has come out of the past tragedies and the Truth and Reconciliation commission. As she said, the best you can do is acknowledge and own up to the past and use it to move forward. After the show, Bonnie was meeting with a woman who's a leading chief in BC, to more fully understand what's going down here. I have no doubt she'll use her platform to help out in any way she can.
This woman never disappoints. If you get a chance to take in one of her concerts, do it!