Colin James: The Open Road comes home
written by Tom Paillé
Colin James is on the road again in support of his Juno-winning 2021 release aptly titled ‘Open Road’. He had recently run an Eastern Canada leg of this tour in the spring and then supported Buddy Guy’s US tour where he met a young blues player named Ally Venable out of Kilgore, Texas. She and her band opened for James on Friday.
With just a bass and drum rhythm section, Ally dazzled the welcoming audience with her skills. And what skills she has! Although only 23 years old, Ally Venable is beyond her years in soul and you can feel her passion in every scorching note. Homages to blues legends and her own creations kept us spellbound the whole set, which seemed way to short. A charming smile, sparkling dress and voice from above made her many new fans here.
Colin James made a grand entrance to the stage by making his way through the lower orchestra seating while playing ‘Voodoo Thing’ down to the stage where his band was in full swing. The evening was a blur of radio hits, blues songs of James’s own and some favourites from his idols like Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn and BB King, to name a few.
With the show being held on Reconciliation Day, there was an acknowledgment to the use of the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples – Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and the Musqueum Nations. The stage was lit in a brilliant orange wash and James played ‘his hit Freedom’, something he wished we allhave access to.
James has learned his craft well. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand all night with his charm, enthusiasm and infectious (if I can use that word in a pandemic) energy. But it was the music that kept everyone there until the lights came up. The sheer quality of musicianship from James and band was top-shelf. Jesse O’Brien on keyboards, Steve Pelletier on bass and harmonica, Chris Cadell on guitar and Geoff Hicks on the kit were fantastic. Colin was interactive with each member throughout the show as well as several forays into the audience to show off those licks. Higher praise could not be earned this night.
The rest of western Canada is in for a huge treat!
*find Tom’s photo gallery of Colin James HERE
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written by Tom Paillé