Robert Randolph and the Family Band at the Bluebird Theater (REVIEW)
October 25, 2011 4 comments
Robert Randolph and the Family Band – Nobody
The 13-string steel pedal guitar phenom Robert Randolph can flat out play. Randolph was trained as a pedal steel guitarist in the House of God Church as a child, and his dynamic instrument is front and center in all the band’s music. Think Duane Allman meets Muddy Waters and B.B. King. I’ve been fortunate enough to see Robert Randolph on a number of occasions and in all different settings – most recently Saturday night at the Bluebird Theater in Denver. Randolph is usually backed by his Family Band. The Family Band is a variation of Randolph’s actual family members, with some family filling in in different cities. Saturday night showcased cousins Danyel Morgan on bass, Marcus Randolph on drums, Brett Haas on guitar, and Lenesha Randolph with the pipes! Sadly, we were missing keyboards, but that didn’t stop the band from kicking ass.
Randolph himself is already listed in Rolling Stone‘s “Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list. For a man who is still alive – quite young in fact – this is no easy task. Randolph currently sits at number 97 on the list. Among the hundred guitarists, we see maybe a couple dozen who are even alive today. Randolph is only in his early 30′s. Fortunately for the masses, Robert Randolph and The Family Band have plenty of years to continue touring. I hope to see them many more times and watch him elevate on that list to the top 20, where he belongs.
The show Saturday was nothing short of fantastic. Randolph is always animated when he plays. He’ll get up and do James Brown-esque spins, stand on his chair, play with his tongue (yes, he did that), and just go all-out nuts on stage. He’s a real performer and a crowd pleaser. Did I mention that he could double up as a linebacker? On Saturday, the band opened with a little jam and went directly into Nobody, a super funky track off his debut studio album Unclassified. As he is apt to do, Randolph brought a bunch of ladies on stage to dance around as the band rocked out. We got a little Shake Your Hips and Press On. Later on he channeled a little Hendrix for a badass rendition of Voodoo Child (video), and got everyone doing The March (HQ video and brief interview with Randolph). He played steel guitar, guitar, sang, and even switched with his cousin Marcus and played the drums while Marcus rocked a little steel pedal guitar himself. Seriously, these guys are phenomenally talented. Props to the gene pool.
The highlight of the show for me, aside from the Hendrix cover, came near the end when Randolph stood up, grabbed an electric guitar and just started looking around the crowd. It’s pretty common-place at RRFB shows for a fan to get on stage and jam with the band. So, as one can expect, an eager fan jumped on stage and started playing with a big shit-eating grin on his face. But Robert didn’t like what he heard and within 30 seconds had kicked the kid off stage. It was pretty damn funny… Another guy was immediately thrown on stage, exchanged a few words with Robert to the tune of “What key are we in?” and started playing. It was like this kid was planted in the crowd. He was so on point that he even stole the show from Robert Randolph for a few minutes as he shredded as hard as I’ve ever seen. When he stopped playing to let Randolph and other band members take solos, the crowd was cheering for this anonymous shredder to continue in the spotlight.
I don’t know what else to say. I was blown away (again) by Randolph’s musical prowess and stage presence. This is a guy who had never listened to non-religious Gospel and church-related music until he was an adult. He has since toured with The Roots, The North Mississippi All-Stars, John Medeski, The Dave Matthews Band, and Eric Clapton, to name just a few. His show will leave you in awe, always wanting more. Check out tour dates here. If you have the chance, DO NOT MISS IT. Leave a comment if you’ve seen RRFB, what do you think of his shows?
