Live Report: Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt has had a love affair with Seattle for more than
twenty-five years. Even when she was going through what she called
the “hell” of the “slammin’ ‘Eighties,” a time that found her
wrapped in more boas than a dancehall queen and bloated with booze,
she could always find solace with her fans in the smaller clubs of
the Emerald City.
Those fans were out in force for the first of two sold out shows
at the Fifth Avenue Theatre Tuesday night. Raitt, commenting on the
theater’s grand, baroque design, said she’d “like to have some of
whatever the guy who designed this place was taking.” When the
laughter subsided, she reminded the audience of her less than
stellar days, and reiterated just how good it felt to be back.
It must have been. Raitt and her steamrolling band put on a
two-hour performance that was at once technically polished and
movingly soulful. Raitt’s husky, well-controlled wail easily cut
through her band’s accompaniment and her legendary slide playing,
as a matter of course, was smooth and sublime.
While concentrating on her most recent release,
Fundamental, she mixed the new and old tit for tat. After
kicking off the set with the title tune from the new work, she
stepped back a couple of years for “Something to Talk About.” Both
allowed plenty of space for her band to get warmed up and from
there it was time for a ride.
Longtime drummer Rick Fataar and bassist Hutch Hutchinson
anchored the sound, while Raitt, guitarist Rick Vito and pianist
John Cleary built upon the foundation with exemplary playing.
Cleary’s New Orleans boogie rolled throughout the show, his
effortless playing evoking nothing short of Chuck Berry sideman
Johnnie Johnson. Vito, who brought a subtle rockabilly presence to
the stage, matched Raitt almost note for note. Both Cleary and Vito
also contributed strong vocal support.
Show highlights included a cover of John Hiatt’s bittersweet
“Lovers Will;” an almost psychedelic “Spit of Love” (one of Raitt’s
most tortured and personal songs); “Love Letters,” in a
crunch-groove version so funky it dripped 30 weight; and an
achingly beautiful rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”
Raitt encored with John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery.” Even
though she’s been doing this song for more than twenty-five years,
she still managed to make it as fresh and poignant as the day it
was delivered.
Blues guitarist and singer/songwriter Keb’ Mo opened the show
with an upbeat, affable set of well-played originals. Raitt joined
the singer for one song and he reciprocated by joining Raitt for
two during her set. The respect and appreciation the two share for
each other was obvious, and it well served the evening’s embrace of
tradition.