Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang
ACL Live, Austin, Texas
May 17, 2018
Review by Stacey Lovett / Photography by Stan Martin
As both have separately graced Austin, Texas with their extraordinary musical presence in the last year, Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang teamed up to blow the crowd away at ACL Live at the Moody Theater once more on a shared bill not to be missed.
There was no intro needed as his presence said all for Jonny Lang as he came in like a freight train, rocking the crowd with that very song. Lang’s live performances are like none other – he just streams this special type of energy transmitted from some other plane, in both his voice and guitar and remains in the moment throughout the show. He truly performs each song, sparing no shred of emotion, tapping into a level of vulnerability essential to truly playing the Blues and beyond; a skill that can’t be taught, only an innate gift that must be experienced to truly appreciate. After unleashing that level of openness in “Signs” he came down for a second from his trance to greet the crowd before returning to an unbridled performance of “Quitter Never Wins.” Lang’s guitar continues the story that lyrics never could – pure, raw emotion is delivered throughout as he writhes about the stage playing every bit of soul of the song as he’s totally entranced in the feeling. Where his voice can no longer project the level of passion that is humanly capable, his guitar picks up and continues it. As the show of his artistry takes the spotlight throughout the performance, Jonny takes the time out to turn it over to his fellow bandmates to showcase the talent that accompanies his mastery and did so with the jazzy riffs of “Rack It Up” before ending it with an emotive scat duet with his guitar. Bassist Jim Anton played an eclectic solo, complete with a frog puppet on his hand, before the band upped the tempo for playful exchange between guitarist Zane Carney and Tyrus Sass on the keys. Following an ominous “Snakes,” the band repeated the intro of the part of the performance that always steals the show as Jonny thanked Austin for their love of music and named his fellow bluesman on the bill, Buddy Guy, as his hero. The billing of this powerhouse duo wasn’t one to go unnoticed. Those who are familiar with Lang’s live performances understand not only the innate talent and how he became recognized so early on for it, but the level of raw emotion he conjures on stage shows his true grasp of what it really means to play the Blues and how he’s advanced it to another level. Although almost 50 years his junior, Jonny paired with Buddy Guy ignites a passion for the genre and brings light to a true artist whose vocal and guitar perfection is often underrated, and as Guy has undertaken the mission to keep the truth of the Blues alive, having Lang co-headline the tour was a natural fit. “Red Light” live is one of the most spectacular musical events to experience – there could be no purer projection of human emotion than his performance as he explores the complexities of the soul and taps right into the core of the human spirit with just absolute heartfelt execution. The beautiful anguish exposed brings the room to absolute silence and reverence in the rawness that Jonny Lang is capable of sharing with six strings and a voice. He emits true gospel, chilling and moving in his delivery, as he’s wonderfully possessed by the guitar but whatever takes over him is that which always produces an absolutely epic live rendition. Following a performance of that caliper called for a brief intermission on the lead as Zane Carney took the spotlight on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” keeping the audience dancing with its uplifting melodies as they rose in a standing ovation for Jonny Lang and his band’s amazing performance that evening. Again, without words as the music said it all, Lang returned to the stage for an acoustic solo encore of an extended version of “Lie to Me.” His Spanish licks and striking chords simultaneously dealt out pain, love, and emotion as the power of the last chorus brought the band back up in a synergy of that power he’s gifted to summon into an explosive finish.
JONNY LANG PHOTO GALLERY
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Following Lang’s fiery performance, 
Buddy Guy took the stage in an equally rousing aftershock of energy and talent. The Damn Right Blues Band kicked off the intro as the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer took the stage in his signature polka dot attire and matching ax. Guy began professing “Damn Right I Got the Blues” just effortlessly howling alongside his guitar as eight decades of life came flowing out, bringing the crowd to their feet for the legend before them. His entire band plugs into his greatness and amplifies that quintessential Blues sound he has carved into musical history. And history plays a huge part in Buddy Guy’s set as he doesn’t just take the stage for a performance, but performs history itself –that which he both lived and wrote – for his fans, and that exhibition is a gift to experience. Just with the liberties, he’s taken musically, he also exercises those not allowed early in his career – like profanity – and throws it into his set because he now can. And having lived over 80 years of just pivotal social change he rightfully has earned this privilege as well as the respect to spread his knowledge and lessons to anyone who will – and should – listen. Folded into the deep messages throughout his show, Guy showcased all that he picked up from those Blues masters before him and all he has passed along – a compendium of his place in the Blues with a glimpse through the jokes and stories of the man behind the music. And as a man who has lived through so much, nothing could throw him off of his game, not even a broken guitar string during his first song, “Hootchie Cootchie Man.” He simply improvised without missing a beat with his humorous performance with the broken string as he switched out guitars and ultimately showed the fiery spirit behind the music and legend. Guy radiates – and is – pure rock and roll and soul and holds a muse-like quality in his own musicianship. He released that energy as he threw in a lick of Texas’ own “Pride and Joy,” Stevie Ray Vaughan, complete with guitar spin, showcasing all he has influenced and nurtured in the genre. Just as it was hard to tell where his polka dotted guitar ended and same-patterned shirt began, Buddy melded the emotions of his medley of Blues between his voice and hands, as well as his own music history lesson and where he fit into the mix of gilding it himself. As he crooned lyrics of bluesy sensuality, turning out an array of dynamic tonal bliss, Guy proved his guitar had as much wit as he did as he playfully exchanged that flair with Marty Sammon on keys. He had no hesitation to speak his mind at any point and maintained a commanding presence on stage throughout the show. In his own recognition of his significant role in Blues history, and that which he’s committed his entire life to building, he plays with both a reverence to the art and an entitled one to himself as he serves a bridge from past to future, on both a musical and social front. He knows where it came from and can see where the potential lies in keeping it alive, serving as a musical sage, his guitar tells a story often untold and his presence spoke volumes as he paused within “Feels Like Rain.” The allure of Buddy Guy is how he can evoke a feeling through a variety of means – from the feel of a song, just as he does the gentle somber Louisiana rainfall in this, to a playful, technical display of playing with a drumstick or towel as he wipes the sweat from his face. His setlist weaves medleys in homage to his predecessors and celebrating his mark on the contemporary greats within his own tunes, playing off the audience as he cherishes his time in the spotlight. During “Someone Else is Steppin’ In” he descended into the crowd – a Blues prophet – walking among those who celebrated him and his gift to art. He ascended back onstage to paint a personal story inspired by his mother, breathing life into “Skin Deep” and provoking deep emotional thought through the vehicle of his guitar. Guy rounded out his set with a respectful medley of his counterparts and influences: Jimmy Reed, BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Marvin Gaye, and Eric Clapton & Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. He pulled out all of the stage theatrics with his guitar – from playing with his teeth to jamming behind his back – all while displaying his effortless mastery of his skill and passion. Introducing his Damn Right Blues Band during the outro, Buddy Guy proved he ‘got the Blues’ and without that, it would not be what it is today or tomorrow, and that is something to be grateful to have experienced live.
BUDDY GUY PHOTO GALLERY
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About the Writer and Photographer
