DOHENY BLUES FESTIVAL PICS 'N STUFF

Hey guys,

Just wanted to put up a few pics and the set list, but I'll give a full report later. I am BEAT! It was a great festival. Here are some pics:







I just had to post a pic of Robbie Chevrier






Here is the set list (to the best of my ability). If anything is wrong, someone can post the changes:

Red Hot
This Cat's On A Hot Tin Roof
Ignition
'49 Mercury Blues
Drive Like Lightning, (Crash Like Thunder)
Slow Down
Mona Lisa (and Brian's vocals were divine!)
Put Your Cat Clothes On
Get It Off Your Mind
Tennessee Zip
Peroxide Blond In A Hopped Up Model Ford
Hell Bent
8-Track
Take A Chance On Love
Sleepwalk (dedicated to Ross' mom)
Stray Cat Strut
Built For Speed

encore:
Rock This Town (and it did rock!)
Rumble In Brightton

It was great meeting a lot of fun people tonight. For now....'Nighty night!

Gloria, I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to meet! I was in the "cheap seats"!!
By the way, I wrote down the setlist exactly the same as you did.

Here are my photos, including a photo of the intended setlist for the night:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andihazelwood

And, once again my little video camera let me down and the batteries died while Brian was mentioning Rockabilly Ross, but I got this much:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9unsJci4Hs

He said he had a lot of friends in Orange County, then said the bit in the video, and mentioned that Ross' mother had just passed away, and that he wanted to dedicate this to Ross' mom, then he played Sleepwalk. Ross, I am so sorry I wasn't able to get more of this - but it was extremely touching.

wow... that was lovely of him to mention that... Maybe someone else will have taken video...

fun pix, thanks for sharing, what a goofy tie at the beginning!! lol

C

Thanks Gloria and Andi, Great photos as always. What a wonderful thing that Brian dedicate sleepwalk to Ross mother.

Ooh, before I forget, Ronnie Crutcher also sang one verse of Built for Speed, and there was an absolutely brilliant acoustic guitar solo in it by Robbie Chevrier. One of the best versions of that song I've heard, loved it.

Edit - something else I just remembered. Andrew "D" Dickson from The Hillbilly Casino was on drums. Did we already know that?

Gloria, Andi, thanks a lot. What a big time you had !
Sorry Andi that Dreamsville was not on the set list...
I find really touching that Brian has dedicated Sleepwalk to Ross' mum.

What a job girls!!! Thank you very much.

Thank you for sharing these incredible moments!

Beautiful!!

Good stuff...Thank you!

Thank you ladies!

It sounds like it was a great show - with a very nice setlist. If they had played all 23 songs on the original setlist that would have really been amazing. Adding at least one blues song to the set would have been nice to see.

Brian's dedication of Sleepwalk to Ross' Mom was a very nice gesture, and a very classy thing to do. Nicely done, Brian. (Having my girlfriend's Dad pass away last Sunday makes this gesture of Brian's especially meaningful for me.)

RMC, in the final big finish on Rock This Town, Le Setz actually played a rather blistering straight blues solo before wrapping up the song as normal. It was a nice nod to the event.

Andi wrote:

Edit - something else I just remembered. Andrew "D" Dickson from The Hillbilly Casino was on drums. Did we already know that?

I seem to remember Geoff mentioning it... LINK

I know this is long, but I had to share the story about my Doheny guardian angel and fellow music lover, Al.

This was my first Doheny Festival. When the doors opened, I went right to the Doheny stage where people were setting up their blankets, chairs and whatever else they lugged along. I noticed that no one was sitting in the first 10 or so feet right in front of the stage. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I went to the spot where I wanted to be at the stage and started spreading my towel out on the ground. I then got some schooling about how this thing works. A very nice guy who was sitting right behind me saw me setting up and came over and told me the front part of the stage was the “pit” section, where people dance when the bands come on. Ok, yeah, I know all about the pit section. That’s just where I want to be! So he explained to me that I should set up a bit farther back and I could go to the stage as the bands come on. All I can remember him saying is, “you can relax here, it’s not that kind of concert”. I thanked him and set up not far from where he and his wife were sitting as I explained to him that although I’m sure I’d enjoy all of the other music, I was here to see Brian Setzer and that’s the only reason I wanted to be at the stage. He assured me I’d be able to get up there. Now, as the day is starting, I’m seeing that most people who have blankets set up, have walked away to do….whatever they pleased. You set up and you are free to roam around from stage to stage or in my case, I was able to get to a bathroom whenever I wanted!! I honestly figured I would be lucky if I made it to the bathroom once or twice throughout the day if my neighbors were nice enough to hold my space. I was able to go check out venders, check out some of the other bands on the other stage, buy souvenirs, grab something to eat and drink whenever I wanted. I took my purse with me and left my towel and a tote bag which had magazines, water, and other (sort of) non important things in it. My purse is big enough, so I didn’t want to lug around a tote bag all day. And each and every time I came back to my spot, all of my belongings were there. Wow, this is great! Every once in a while, I’d see my “teacher”, whose name was Al, who would walk past me and give me the thumbs up. He’d mentioned he liked Brian Setzer, but kind of gave the impression he could take or leave him. (Why am I bothering to mention this? You’ll see later). Now, it’s later in the day and I decide to go to the back stage area, where I met up with some Setzer fans. Weaser was there and I talked to him and his wife for a bit. Later, I talked to some fans who were at the Nashvillains New Year’s Eve show and we were yakking for a good while back there. I regret that I missed The Keb’ Mo’ Band’s set, even though I could hear every note of it since I was standing right behind the stage. Still….I wish I’d been in front of the stage to see the show. His show ended and he stopped by to talk a little bit to those of us waiting back there, take pictures and sign autographs. What a nice guy. His wife, and baby son Carter make a nice family and Carter was playing ball with all of us while Daddy did his set. That kid is too cute for words. Ronnie Crutcher was back there and was nice enough to talk with us for a while. It was still a while before Brian would take the stage, but I knew people would be lining up so I decided to go back and get my place at the stage. I’d been back stage for probably 60-90 minutes, the longest time I’d been away from my “seat”. When I get back and look at the stage, I noticed there wasn’t much more room to be in the front, so I decided I better take whatever spot I could get. Then, I looked over at my belongings, and there was my beach towel, but my tote bag wasn’t there! My first thought was, “for God’s sake, all day long I’ve had no trouble coming back to my belongings and now, at the end of the day, someone decides they want my magazines and water” (and crappy hat that I bought at the .99 cent store the day before, which I didn’t need to use!)? Sigh. Life goes on. So I turn to the stage, look down, and there’s my tote bag…with people lined up at the front of the stage! What the hell? Did someone think they were going to try to steal my stuff right from under my nose? Behind my back is one thing, but right in front of me is another. So as I’m grabbing it, I say “excuse me” and Al turns around. He says to me, “I’ve been holding your spot at the stage because I knew how important it was for you to be up here for Brian Setzer”. He’d taken my tote up to the stage and been standing there while I was back stage hanging out (and missing Keb’ Mo’!). This generous act of kindness puts my faith back in humanity. In a day and age where it seems like incompetence is becoming the norm, and I start to believe it’s because people just don’t care, this happens! I thanked, hugged and high-fived him and told him to tell his wife she’s a very lucky lady! He said it made him happy to do it. And, what’s even better is that after the show (which he watched sitting on the lawn from his chair), he walked up to me and high-fived me and said, “I understand now why you like him so much!” and proceeded to rant and rave about Brian after he saw the show! I told him next time he has to be the one standing at the stage next time Brian plays and he was completely up for it!

As for the show itself, Brian sounded and played great. And he looked pretty dang cute, too! I’ve seen The Nashvillains twice and I’d have to check my New Year’s Eve set list, but I think Doheny’s set list was pretty similar. It’s a thrill to hear anything from Ignition! at any Setzer show, but the mix of that album along with the Rockabilly Riot tunes (I love Tennessee Zip) along with ‘49 Mercury Blues and Drive Like Lightning along with everything else makes for a great set list. As for the Doheny Blues Festival, don’t hesitate to go if you get the chance. It’s right at the beach and nothing seems like a bigger waste than the beach on an overcast day, but for me, being there from 8 am to 9:15 pm, I was thankful for the coolness of the day. It’s just the nicest crowd of people down there. And, every bit of music I heard, I was entertained by it. White Boy James offered his own “boot” cd for a mere $5. C’mon, that’s a steal. He told me “I made them myself”. Elvin Bishop is a good old boy too and his band was fabulous! The only song I knew of his was “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” which I wasn’t sure if he’d play, and wouldn’t you know it, he played it as an instrumental (which I really enjoyed!) and turned the mic towards the audience and asked us to sing the song! His set was very enjoyable. Keb’ Mo’ sounded great from where I was behind the stage, but, again, I regret not seeing him for real. I’m posting a few photos. I’m still going through them, but this should give you the idea of it all. Thanks to everyone who was SO nice yesterday and made it a very enjoyable day. And, of course, a big thank you to Brian for playing this festival. Your performance was the tops, and so are you!

While waiting in line to get in, we were treated to Gregg Young and Andrea Palm


I'm in! (and schooled!):


New Setzer shirt alert!


That's the 44's on stage

See? I can walk around the place...

...and still come back to my original seat at the Doheny stage. This is Whiteboy James & The Blues Express


This is what it looks like from my lawn seat with people standing at the stage:


Back to the stage I go. Here's Elvin Bishop with guitarist Mike Schermer:


Fooled Around And Fell In Love, instrumentally- notice the mic is turned toward the audience:


Keb' Mo' in the back stage area:


Chillin':


Work it, B!:

Thank You Gloria for staying awake and posting these stunnin' pics!
The only thing i would ask is (as it's a 'blues' festival') why the Setz didn't do a few blues numbers? Ok 'Strut' can be bluesy. The only reason i ask is because that's the one album i'm still waiting for which i know Brian could do very well. Not another 'Gonna Ball' or 'Nitro Burnin' but some down right dirty blues! The kind of slow to mid tempo numbers that the early bluesmen use to do.
I guess after hearing the guitar solos on 'Take a break guys' i'm looking for more of that type of thing without the Orchestra.

Hi all, I'm a long time Setzer fan but have never really done the msg boards for him. Waves at Gloria, I'm the lady that was next to you

Last night's show was great! I thought Brian looked fantastic.

I got some nice shots so thought I'd post a link in case you want to check it out.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cindy7609/sets/

Enjoy! Feedback & comments always appreciated!

Have a great day!

~Cindy

P.S. I'm still editing & adding so it might be a few days until I have it all up

Hey Cindy!!

Great to hang out with you. Lots of fun last night. Did you happen to get a pic at the end when Brian was signing the program?

Here's a link to the first night of Doheny's Blues Festival from the Orange County Register which includes pictures. And, I don't care what this guy says (and he said mostly good things), Brian's vocals are pretty damn good to me! Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa.....

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/doheny-blues-festival-2415903-brian-setzer

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Doheny Blues gets off to a rousing start

Brian Setzer, Grace Potter and Elvin Bishop stand out from a field crowded with highlights.

By ROBERT KINSLER
Special to the Register

The biggest challenge for listeners attending Saturday's first half of the 12th annual Doheny Blues Festival was how best to squeeze in breaks during the 10-hour run of nonstop music on three stages. With a bill boasting a dozen artists – not counting Gregg Young's appearance outside the main gate before the doors opened – it was physically impossible to catch every note.

But that's a good dilemma to have when the performances are as strong as those of the 10 artists I had a chance to catch in Dana Point.

Fans of the Stray Cats may be out of luck in terms of catching that classic trio this summer, but the rockabilly faithful were treated to the next best thing via Brian Setzer & the Nashvillains' headlining an 80-minute set on the Doheny Stage. Opening with the one-two punch of "Red Hot" and "This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof," singer-guitarist Setzer and his outfit proceeded to tear through 19 songs that included newer originals as well as classic rockabilly staples and reworked Stray Cats hits.

While Setzer has never been known for top-tier vocals, the guy sure can play guitar. Just about every selection allowed him room to amaze the packed crowd with his fretwork. "Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped up Model Ford," "Slow Down" and the night-ending "Rumble in Brighton" were all standouts. The lengthy concert also provided stand-up bassist Ronnie Crutcher and pianist Robbie Chevrier spotlights to display their strong chops.

As entertaining as Setzer was, his wasn't the best set of the day. Several others outdistanced it thanks to artistic ambition or sheer will. Grace Potter and the Nocturnals might not be the usual choice to appear at a blues fest, but the young Vermont outfit's winning mix of blues, R&B, classic- and roots-rock, gospel and soul impressed mightily during a 75-minute set on the Renaissance Stage.

Potter, 25, is a charismatic singer backed by a revamped lineup making its first-ever public appearance. Although longtime lead guitarist Scott Tournet and drummer Matt Burr remain with the Nocturnals, bassist Catherine Pepper and rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco proved they are the perfect fit for the band.

Going back and forth from her mic at center stage to the seat behind her Hammond B3 organ, Potter led the crowd through a musical world that somehow blended the magic of Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Joni Mitchell and Etta James without sounding anything close to those legendary names.

Several selections from the band's 2007 album "This Is Somewhere" easily replicated the joy of that recording, including "Ah Mary," "Apologies" and "Stop the Bus."

Elvin Bishop didn't have mighty soul singer John Németh join him on stage until an hour into his 75-minute set, but Bishop's entire performance was great. His loose, casual style of singing and smiling and playfully interacting with his band was the perfect sonic stew for the afternoon.

Highlights of Bishop's set included his signature hit "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," bolstered by emotive slide guitar work, as well as his collaboration with Németh, who provided guest vocals and strong harmonica firepower on "Night Time Is the Right Time."

Any overview of my Day 1 has to include the strong early set by the 44's, an electric blues band that kicked off the action with a set of Chicago blues crossed with primal rock 'n' roll. Another early offering featured piano man Taryn Donath tearing through some boogie-woogie on the Backporch Stage with a drummer and sax player.

Better yet was John Hammond thrilling a packed and rapt crowd packed in around the Backporch with his acoustic, Mississippi-style delivery of originals and classics by Howlin' Wolf and Buddy Guy.

Keb' Mo' again proved that his art appeals to both blues purists and those who enjoy the accessible side of the genre, while hometown heroes Big Sandy & the Fly-Rite Boys played that their mix of Western swing, rockabilly and Buddy Holly-esque rock 'n' roll that included the upbeat "It's Time" and "Love That Man."

No sorry, I don't think I got any shots of him signing.

Gloria, as always, thanks for making me feel like I was right up front with you! Nice review and photos.

Just wanted to chime in, it was a great show. Nice meeting you Gloria. I unfortunatley didn't get any pictures. I did hang out with Ronnie quite a bit. We watched Big Sandy together and I bought him a beer. It was a blast!

Hi all,

a quick question for anyone that went Saturday. Do you remember the full name of the lady that joined Keb' Mo' toward the end of their set? Her first name was Nicky I believe and I can't recall her last name or find her in quick internet search. thank you!

Not trying to sound mean at all, but I would really love someone to
review the concert that took place at doheny.. Not the emotions,
personal experiences, how cute brian is, syncronized set listings...
BUT just the concert. (again, saying it with a smile)
What was the vibe between the band members?
Where they all in the pocket, was ronnie a monster on the bass?
was D bringin the vintage thunder to Brians sound?
did the hippie dude on the piano stand up and tear the ivory a new one?
Was there a decent lighting show that reflected the various moods of
the songs?
The Sound.. was it clear and strong or did it get lost in the outside
environment like so many beachfront concerts?
Did Brian let loose and shake em up like he did for the PBS broadcast
in 2004, or did he stand there all gentleman like and BBking it all night?
Any girls cuff themselves to the Setz?
Objects thrown?
More pictures of the band playing together besides setzer face?
close ups of setzer AMP and guitars.. D's drumset, Ronnies Bass rig?

....I know, I know I should have gone but I had visitors from nashville
staying with us and they are not into rockabilly or blues.

I would love to hear about those things, BUT am indeed, entirely grateful for those reviews and pictures we have seen thus far.
I obviously missed out on more than a show by not getting to meet
all my wild so cal HDVDL buddies..

ps. I have a new love and respect for Andi in the cheapseats, your doo looks great too.

Quote :

...I know, I know I should have gone but I had visitors from nashville
staying with us and they are not into rockabilly or blues.

whoa... that doesn't seem right... bein' from nashville and not into rbilly or blues!

tvthewiredturtle wrote:

Not trying to sound mean at all, but I would really love someone to
review the concert that took place at doheny.. Not the emotions,
personal experiences, how cute brian is, syncronized set listings...
BUT just the concert. (again, saying it with a smile)
What was the vibe between the band members?
Where they all in the pocket, was ronnie a monster on the bass?
was D bringin the vintage thunder to Brians sound?
did the hippie dude on the piano stand up and tear the ivory a new one?
Was there a decent lighting show that reflected the various moods of
the songs?
The Sound.. was it clear and strong or did it get lost in the outside
environment like so many beachfront concerts?
Did Brian let loose and shake em up like he did for the PBS broadcast
in 2004, or did he stand there all gentleman like and BBking it all night?
Any girls cuff themselves to the Setz?
Objects thrown?
More pictures of the band playing together besides setzer face?
close ups of setzer AMP and guitars.. D's drumset, Ronnies Bass rig?

....I know, I know I should have gone but I had visitors from nashville
staying with us and they are not into rockabilly or blues.

I would love to hear about those things, BUT am indeed, entirely grateful for those reviews and pictures we have seen thus far.
I obviously missed out on more than a show by not getting to meet
all my wild so cal HDVDL buddies..

ps. I have a new love and respect for Andi in the cheapseats, your doo looks great too.

Sorry I am biased to Brian's cuteness but I shall try to answer some of your questions. I thought the sound was great but I was in the front row. I don't know how it sounded way out there in the cozy lawn chairs. I thought the lights were great! Really colorful and well timed with the songs. I thought there was great interaction between Brian and the band members and it seemed like each guy got a few moments to shine and show off his skill.

Why yes, I did cuff myself to the Setz - how did you know??

I have added a few more shots of the band to my flickr link which is posted above in this thread. I couldn't get a great shot of Ronnie's bass which really disappointed me. I also added a few short video clips.

My daughter loved that one of Brian's guitars had dice for the knobs and she loved the gold glittery stand up bass


I'm hoping my budget has room to add a trip up to N. Cali for the show with Chris Isaak in Sept!

Cindy7609 wrote:

Sorry I am biased to Brian's cuteness

That ain't nothing to be sorry about!

Gloria wrote:

Cindy7609 wrote:

Sorry I am biased to Brian's cuteness

That ain't nothing to be sorry about!

LOL! I guess I am typical girl when it comes to live music - how good did the guys look?


and I think I hear myself singing on one of the video clips