Last Friday Colleen and I went to see Robert Cray at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. After a short opening set by Paul Metsa and Sonny Earl, Mr. Cray and his band performed for about 90 minutes.
I didn’t write down the set list, but it was a nice mix. Colleen thought there were two new songs, but one of them sounded familiar to me (could have been a cover). Unfortunately, I don’t see any reviews online today, so I’ll have to go by vague memory (not in order):
- Phone Booth
- Twenty
- Smoking Gun
- Poor Johnny
- Bad Influence
- Time Makes Two
- 12 Year Old Boy
- Right Next Door (Because of Me)
- I’m Walking
- The One in the Middle
It was keyboardist Jim Pugh’s 54th birthday and he put on a Twins T-shirt that someone threw onstage for him as a birthday present. His Hammond organ solo was great, although I thought it wasn’t quite as energetic as the Minnesota Zoo concert a few years back.
Mr. Cray is an awesome guitarist. This was the closest we’ve sat for a concert and his facial expressions and finger work during solos were amazing. As I tweeted after the show, it would be incredible to see him jam with Richard Thompson sometime.
Also ran into Western Petroleum president Rick Neville in the lobby before the show. He was also at the Minnesota Zoo concert – small world…
