Review and Photos by Fred Kuhlman
Promoter: Danny Zelisko Presents (https://www.dannyzeliskopresents.com/ )
Venue: Celebrity Theatre (https://celebritytheatre.com/ )
Date: Thursday July 27th, 2023
A lot of people don’t know, but a lot of the 60s British Rock bands started out as Rock/Blues bands. This included the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. In the US we had a very strong blues present in both the south and Chicago area.
Coming out of the Louisiana blues scene in the 60s was the legendary guitarist Stephen Stills. The first time I had seen Kenny Wayne Shepherd was when he was touring with Stephen Stills as parts of The Rides. I later saw Kenny when he toured with his own band in 2017. When I saw Kenny this year, I thought he was in his 30s (he is 46), but I was surprised to know he has been performing for the last 33 years. He first performed with Bryan Lee when he (Kenny) was 13 years old. I was also surprised to learn that his is self-taught and can’t read music.
Kenny’s band currently consists of guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, singer Noah Hunt, drummer Layton, bassist Troy Franklin and keyboard player Riley Osbourn.
The concert started with “Woman Like You” from his The Traveler album. He then played his friend, Steven Stills’ song “Mr. Soul” that was done by Buffalo Springfield. The majority of the song in the main set were from his The Traveler and Ledbetter Heights. They ended their main set with their version of the classic Joe Walsh song, “Turn to Stone”.
They came back for a 3-song encore. This was the first time he performed “Blue on Black”, the only song performed tonight from his latest album, Trouble Is… For the last song, “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, his guitar tech brought out a Stratocaster for Kenny to play. This was no ordinary Strat, but one of the 210 Limited Edition Jimi Hendrix Stratocasters that Fender created for the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix performance at the Monterey Pop festival where he burned his guitar. It was great to see Kenny perform this classic song including putting the guitar behind his head as he played.
Kenny and his band were amazing. Kenny is probably one of the best blues rock guitarists of his generation. If you love Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan or Steven Stills then you will really enjoy seeing Kenny live. You can check out the rest of Kenny’s tour dates on his website and see if he is coming to a city near you.
Special thanks go to Danny Zelisko Presents, Celebrity Theatre & Kenny Wayne Shepherd for the auction of a signed guitar. All proceeds benefit the local Phoenix charity, St. Mary’s Food Band. For every dollar received, St Mary’s is able to make 5 meals that they serve to less fortunate people in the greater Phoenix area.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s Social Media links:
Website: https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kennywayneshepherd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kennywayneshepherd/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/KennyWShepherd
Photos by Fred Kuhlman 2023, All Rights Reserved
Concert Setlist:
Woman Like You
Mr. Soul (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Long Time Running
I Want You
Diamonds & Gold
Deja Voodoo
Shame, Shame, Shame
Born With a Broken Heart
While We Cry
Down for Love
Turn to Stone (Joe Walsh cover)
Encore:
Blue on Black
I’m a King Bee (Slim Harpo cover)
Voodoo Child (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
