Johnny Winter

The Coach House

Oh man. Freakin' Johnny Winter. There are rare times when I wish I was older than I am. If only I could have seen him in his prime with Muddy and the like. Oh lordy. I'm pretty sure this was the last night of Johnny's tour. He'd played the Galaxy the night before, and we heard through the grapevine that this show was a lot better. Johnny isn't all that old, but sadly, he doesn't seem in very good shape. Another rock 'n' roll casualty I suppose. But even with all the strikes against him, he still had the audience in awe. Gone was most of the fast fretwork from days long gone ... he almost seemed to be playing rhythm all night long. Even so, sitting less than fifteen feet away from this legend will be something I'll remember the rest of my life. The show was pretty much the same throughout the bulk of the show, with Johnny sitting up front on a seat playing a headless mini-body guitar and sharing singing duties with the drummer and harmonica player. As an aside here, those two should be shot on sight. The drummer was the worst of the bunch. Dressed with clothes and hair like a freakin' vegas act, he acted like a total fool. His drumming wasn't all that good and I never could figure out who he was pointing his damn drum sticks at in the crowd since his eyes were covered with dark old-man glasses. The harmonica player was better behaved, but still way too over the top. These idiots acted more like they were the talent on stage rather than Johnny. The bass player had it right ... kept to the background, didn't act like a moron, and seemed to really care about Johnny.

The treat of the evening came with the last two numbers played in the one and only encore. They took Johnny to the back of the stage, strapped an old wooden beater to his neck and led him back out front. For the first time that night, he had a slide on his pinky, and that's when everything came alive. Johnny showed everyone who stayed (unbelievably people were leaving after the first set), what he still has left in him. More animated than at any previous point in the show, Johnny worked that slide like there was no tomorrow. He did two numbers with that guitar and his slide then retired for the evening. Those two pieces though, made the night one of the most fantastic performances I've yet to see. Johnny is still truly a legend. If you're fortunate enough to be blessed with his presence, by all means see him. And don't forget to find and sign the petition to get Johnny inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lord knows this man deserves it and it would be a crime for him to get in after he's gone.

Johnny's website can be reached here.