Open Dialogue

Blues On Grand

On Saturday night, I saw Joe Louis Walker at Blues On Grand in Des Moines. Fantastic show. Chris went with me. We arrived as the first set started around 9:40 and stayed through to the end of the third set. I got home after 2:00AM and can't remember the last time I stayed out that late.

I am not a music reviewer. The best I can say is that I had a great time and enjoyed some fantastic blues. Chris, on the other hand, could write a review of the show. I listened politely to his comments (what I could hear over the music) and was amused by what I can best call "amplifier envy". Apparently Joe Louis Walker has one of the best amps a person can get.

Blues On Grand is a great venue. The staff, facility, location--everything--makes for a good blues club. Sitting in the middle of the place, I noticed a sign on the wall, "Live music may be loud. Ear plugs available at the bar." I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I requested ear plugs.

Graffiti was everywhere. The bathrooms had the usual gossip, drunken philosophy, phone numbers and artwork. A sticker on the mirror above the sink read, "Please do not hang clothes over two-way mirror."

Chris observed that he thought Joe Louis Walker wasn't feeling well that night. Joe told the audience that the band had been touring Europe and recently kicked off the US tour in Omaha. Followed by "Minneapolis?" He said with a question. Then followed up with, "and now we are playing in YOUR TOWN." Later on in the show he referred to Des Moines as "this town".

Big Daddy Elijah, the tour manager, announced the intermission saying, "We'll be back in 30 minutes, so get some drinks and buy my CD's." I asked Big Daddy how much the CD's were. He told me $20 a piece. "Twenty dollars!" I exclaimed and asked, "How much if I buy two?" He said, "Forty dollars". I looked at him questioningly and he said, "Thirty dollars for two."

I bought "Playin' Dirty", the new release, and "Preacher and the President".

When the show was over, I went to the ladies room. Chris was talking to the keyboard player when I exited the bathroom. I couldn't help but ask why Joe Louis Walker never said Des Moines. I was told that he didn't want to mess up the pronunciation. Chris and I thought that was a very PC way of saying he couldn't remember where he was.

If you ever get a chance to see Joe Louis Walker, you will hear some of the best blues by a legend in the making.

posted by Susan @ 10:08 PM