Taj Mahal

The Coach House
House of Blues, Anaheim
Long Beach Center Theater

I've seen Taj three times now, and all three performances were completely different from one another. My favorite one was my first, and that was a solo performance at the Long Beach Center Theater.  I had a front row seat and sat not twenty feet from Taj. Playing his collection of fine hollow-bodies and a grand piano with nobody else in the theater besides the audience, Taj put on a memorable performance with all of the humor and merriment he's known for. This was truly a magical evening and I feel extremely lucky to have been there. Oddly enough the show didn't sell out, but the people who were there were totally into Taj's performance, which more than made up for the empty seats.

The show at the Coach House was a lot different. This time Taj had a band and played pretty much a standard meat and potatoes blues set. He still had the same music and personality, but with a slightly less dignified and sweet feeling. The crowd was appreciative and a lot noisier than in Long Beach, but that's understandable. Of the three this was my least favorite performance of his. For one reason or another it lacked the energy and intimacy of the shows at the HOB and Long Beach. Maybe it was just not the best night, or not the best band, or maybe it was just because it was the Coach House.  Nonetheless, I still enjoyed myself more than I usually do at venue.

The House of Blues performance had Taj playing with his Hula Blues Band and the night had a definite island flavor to it. The same Taj who performed at the Long Beach show was in attendance that night and once again it was a fantastic evening. The place wasn't sold out as usual, but there were enough people there to make it uplifting. 

Taj's shows have all been a treat for me no matter what the configuration. He is another one of those artists who I would see time and time again without fail. I highly recommend checking him out. He's not totally blues, he's not totally country, he's not totally stuck on an island. But what he is is damn good.

Best part: He always plays the fishing song. Just kidding.

You can find Taj Mahal's homepage here.