Bobby "Blue" Bland - Photo from www.bluesviews.com

After Lowell Pickett’s standard introduction, Bland’s backup band got on stage: a full brass section (trombone, trumpet and sax), bass, drums and guitar. The band went through a workout on a swinging minor blues as each horn player took a solo, followed by the guitarist who played with a more unorthodox style than I’ve maybe ever seen. Aside from the fact he was playing a Mesa Boogie to get a clean sound (a seemingly odd choice), his right wrist stayed completely stiff as he played heavy legato blues licks. Afterwards, Bland was introduced with teases of classics like “St. James Infirmary” in his intro. The 77 year old was led on stage with some help and sat in front near the mic.

Throughout the set, Bland changed the words to songs and sang to different members of the audience. Though signs of Bland’s age are showing, there is charisma in his old vocal prowess left to spare. Throughout the evening Bland would cough during a verse and have to repeat himself (at one point telling the audience, “I got to do it again—that shit pisses me off!!!”). While he might not have some of the youthful power behind his voice, he makes up for it with subtlety, whisper and a charm that works in a different way.

Among the classics ran through by the band were the aforementioned “St. James Infirmary,” a welcome version of “Farther on up the Road” and “Everyday I Have the Blues.” At one point in the evening, Bland took a vamp and sang a long slow tune about growing up and moving with his parents to Memphis. Afterwards, someone came up and brought Bland a bottle of some red liquid (presumably juice), and after taking a swig he grabbed the mic and said, “This used to be the Johnny Walker Red Label!” eliciting one of many laughs from the audience during the night. Another time, after asking a younger women near the stage if she had a boyfriend and she told him she was waiting for a man with money, Bland exclaimed, “Well, you’re not gonna find it up here on this stage!” Bland then led the audience through a sing along on “Ain’t No Sunshine,” with even more laughs as members of the audience couldn’t get the time right, and a version of one of his signature tunes, “Stormy Monday,” before exiting the stage as the band played through some more solos and called it an evening. And while some might complain that Bland didn’t play his classic “Turn on Your Love Light” or his vocal prowess isn’t what it used to be, it was an overall enjoyable set in an intimate venue from one of the true legends of the blues.

I’m not sure when the modern groove began, but if you told me it was in 1962 with Booker T. and the MGs’ “Green Onions,” I wouldn’t argue too much. Booker T. and the MGs personify the greatest aspects of the humanity in music. The amount of joy, groove and soul the band puts into their music, and that of others, is unparalleled. It is hard to overstate the impact the Stax house band has had on 20th century music. From backing up classic artists such as Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Albert King and Sam & Dave, to their own classic groove frenzies, the MGs are...well, the groovinest groovers to ever groove the groove. And while members of my generation might only recognize “Green Onions” from the fight in the kids movie The Sandlot, or Donald Dunn and Steve Cropper’s appearance in The Blues Brothers, their achievements from the ‘60s at Stax to backing up artists including Bob Dylan and Neil Young are second to none.

Booker T. - Photo from www.concertedefforts.com

Throughout the set, Steve Cropper would plink out trebly runs as he danced around, pointed, smiled and played to the audience. The band tore the house down with a rollicking version of their classic, “Green Onions.” Cropper smiled to the audience as he announced the song and joked, “That’s why we’re here.” Throughout the song and set, Cropper and Dunn joked with each other and the band seemed to be having a ball—no small feat for and band that has been together for almost 40 years.  Afterwards, Booker T. took on vocal duties and sang his classic, “Born Under a Bad Sign.” While I’ve heard countless versions of the tune, listening to Booker T. (the final authority on the piece) play it with some darker minor voicings was a pleasure. Afterwards, they played the slow blues “Behave Yourself,” the B-side to “Green Onions,” and the first tune the band recorded as a unit. After a long ballad intro, the band jumped into “Time Is Tight,” and finished off with an explosion and standing ovation from the audience. Returning to the stage, the band played the gleeful “Soul-Limbo,” and finished off the set—one full of classics, camaraderie and charisma that really showcased the greatness of the band.

The Dakota has always been one of the first things I think about when the word “class” comes to mind. The club and its owner Lowell Pickett, a man whose love of music is perhaps unmatched in a town with great promoters and club owners, have outdone themselves. I can only hope they continue to set the bar this high in the future. And judging by some of the acts coming in this fall, I fully expect they will.