Bonnie Raitt & The James Hunter Six @ Ovens Auditorium

Tonight is the opportunity for A to tick a performer off her bucket list.  I'm pretty sure I don't know a Bonnie Raitt song, but I'm always up for a show (and a midweek date night at that).   That in combination with the fact that Raitt is donating proceeds to those that suffered from Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina, makes tonight a no brainer.

We got to our seat half way through opening act, The James Hunter Six.  What a mistake!  We definitely should have been there from the beginning.  We walked in as he started Okie Dokie Stomp.  A rockin' bluesy number was excellent, and his voice - sterling.  Then he spoke.  He sounded like a Cockney.  How does the sound of a Mississippi bluesman come out of that small English body?  We got the last 20 minutes of his rockabilly/blues/R&B set and it was awesome.  A great cover - Percy Mayfield's Two Years of Torture was well received by the crowd, and his whole set had the crowd pumped for Bonnie Raitt.

James Hunter Six Setlist

A 20 minute set change before Bonnie Raitt and her band strode onto stage to thunderous applause.  Raitt then gave a masterclass in blues-rock, both vocally and with her guitar playing.  When early on a crowd member wished her a happy birthday, I was amazed to find 2 weeks ago she turned 75.  Her voice was perfect.  Every note hit the sweet spot.  As predicted, I didn't know any of her music, but it stop me getting into a fantastic set.  I know she paid tribute to John Hiatt and John Prine with a couple of songs.  And it sounded like she suffered during Covid.  Not only losing friends, but the loss of time and touring opportunities played on her mind.  Her version of Chris Smither's Love Me Like A Man was great (even though I don't know the original).  she did a couple of solo acoustic songs, which showed a couple of flaws in some guitar playing, but beautiful songs nonetheless.  Raitt not only supported western North Carolina tonight, she did go out of her way to mention the organizations that were being funded from tonight's show.  Overall a great show.  It always is when you don't know a performer, and they make you sit up and take notice all night.  A thought it was amazing, so always an added bonus.  Tonight I have "discovered" 2 artists, whom I'd happily see again.

Bonnie Raitt Setlist

The Crap Facts

This is my 513th concert.
This is my 4th concert at Ovens Auditorium..
This is my 112th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 134th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 313th concert in the USA.
James Hunter Six is the 597th band I've seen.
Bonnie Raitt is the 598th band I've seen.