Last night was fun...
Who: Pat Travers Band
When: August 24, 2024
Where: Kent, Ohio (Kent Stage)
My introduction to Pat was around ’79 hearing him on the radio belting out an old blues number by Little Walter, “Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)”. In 1980, Pat had a hit album (Crash and Burn) that I heard plenty of on the radio and at parties but for whatever reason I never picked it up. After that, Pat retreated on my radar to being an artist I would occasionally hear on classic rock stations. Life moves on….
Sooo...fast forward about 42 years and there is a scheduled show by Foghat with the Pat Travers Band as the opening act. Ticket sales were so poor that the show was moved to a smaller venue a week before the show. As luck would have it, I had a pre-sale membership card at the new venue and scored a couple front row seats. Honestly, I felt bad for the fans that had front row seats at the original venue that were shuffled back with the change of venue. It seems life is not fair. (smiling)
Mrs. Buckeye and I regarded seeing Foghat as seeing a glorified cover band with the only original member being drummer, Roger Earle. The band was sort of a funky, southern rock version of Foghat with recently added vocalist Scott Holt but it really was surprisingly good. However, that was not the real surprise of the evening. The real surprise was the level of energy and musicianship by the Pat Travers Band. It was a really good set by a darn good three piece band fronted by a top shelf blues/rock guitarist. Since then, we have kept an eye out for the band’s return to the area.
The summer of ’24 has Pat Travers coming back to the very same venue but this time as the headliner; tix bought, let the festivities begin! Festivities begin with a pre gig Italian meal and a walk around downtown on a perfect summer evening in the college town of Kent. We ended our walk under the marquee of Kent Stage and hanging out on the sidewalk near the smattering of ‘Hammer Heads’ (nickname for fans of PT).
Kent Stage was a movie theater in a previous life but has been a concert venue for about 20 years. There was a renovation a few years ago to the stage and the lobby but the original theater seats remain the same. There is a small town charm to this 650 seat concert hall and they do an excellent job of bringing in national acts of all genres.
No opener tonight…hooray…what?? It seems ironic that I’m happy about no opener yet the only reason I’m here is because I heard Pat Travers as an opener. Pat begins every show with the same introduction, “We’re Here To Kick Yor Ass”! I’ve now heard him say this twice and I’m still debating if it is meant as a threat or a promise. Either way he delivers although on this night he is only delivering to a half empty venue. The attendance was disappointing but it made no difference to me perched in the front row directly in front of Pat’s Marshall amp.
The show started with “Rock n Roll Suzie” straight into “Life In London” with no break between until after the third song, “Crash And Burn”. The evening was divided into two sets, the first was a fairly tight 45 minute set and focused on early material that had the approval of long time fans.
The second set started with one of my favorites (“Ronnie”) that is a tribute to Ronnie Montrose. This track along with two others are from the 2022 release by PT (The Art Of Time Travel). The set also included two new songs from an upcoming album and virtuoso soloing by drummer Al Petrosky and bass player David Pastorius thrown in for good measure. The show ended predictably with the two best known song; “Snortin’ Whiskey” and “Boom, Boom (Out Go The Lights). The obligatory encore was the rousing Earl King blues classic “Come On, Pt 1”.
One of the highlights of the second set was when Pat left the stage and David Pastorius played the song “Natalie” on bass. The album version is flushed out with guitars but this live rendition had David carrying the entire song with melodic slapping and fret walking.
I’ve seen some great bass players in my concert life but I consider David Pastorius the best I’ve seen. It certainly helps that Pat gives him plenty of room to showcase his talent during the show. The bloodline probably helps as well, David is the nephew of bass royalty Jaco Pastorius who was most notably with the ‘70’s fusion band, Weather Report.
Over the years I’ve seen bands that play a great short set as an opener but have trouble carrying a crowd when playing an extended set as a headliner. Not the case with Pat because even when playing deep tracks it’s impossible to not be amazed by the musicianship by all members on stage. Sign me up for the next time Pat comes around.
Well Done!
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