Chris Duarte, Spearhead + Blues Traveller
Austin blues master Chris Duarte in a tiny room in Des Moines on a Wednesday night. Blues On Grand is a phine club and this power trio had it rockin’, despite the somewhat lame table set up. What can I say, I love an open floor. Somehow I had not witnessed the guitar pyrotechnics of Chris Duarte before. What a guy. An amazing right hand (rythmic sense), and left as well. To say nothing of his heart, which is clearly in the right place. Thursday, there was much anticipation in the air as Lincoln’s new Rococo Theatre opened its doors to the phreaks for the phirst time. Opening act, Spearhead brought their positive vibes to the people of the Corn and the people were pleased. Singer and political poet Micheal Franti encouraged us to “get the funk up on the walls of this place” to ensure a proper breaking in. And the sweat did flow as Blues Traveler delivered huge. Two phat sets and a double encore. My personal highlight was Dropping Some NYC>Crash Burn>Dropping Some NYC in the second set. Looking phorward to many more shows in this kind venue.