Catalyst Show

Hey folks – first time poster here, but an old fan. I’ve seen 7 or 8 of Lucinda’s concerts over the years in almost as many different towns, the First Ave show in Minneapolis in ’03 being my favorite, but the Catalyst show in Santa Cruz last Saturday came in a tight second. I had a feeling it was going to be good because of the venue — like the above-mentioned Minneapolis show, it was in a down & dirty rock club, and the last date of the tour (this leg at least). The band was tired and Doug and Lu seemed a little on edge at first but hey, you rise to the occasion. Excellent setlist, a really good mix of old & new, mellow & rockin’. No flubbed lyrics, false starts or verbal hassles with sound issues etc. Can’t comment on the house PA – I was up at stage center hearing the amps & monitors. Thank God somebody finally opened a door somewhere and let in a little air or we might have had a few of Lu’s aging fans (I’m in that number) collapse on the dancefloor. Chet’s a great addition – keys have been sorely lacking in the live shows and he’s a good spirit. I have to begrudgingly commend Dave’s bass playing (seeing as how I WANT HIS JOB) – good solid work. Hell, they’re all great and Lucinda’s voice was terrific, amazingly so for someone who’s been on the road for so long.

The Buick 6 warmup is probably a little off-putting to some fans who are more aligned to the old music but I like it. Incidentally, to weigh in on the confusion, some press on the summer tour was mistakenly identifying them as a British blues band, which shares the same name. Fooled me, and after arriving late to the Big Top show in Wisconsin last July I confidently informed some curious folks in the audience of that “Yeah, they’re British”. “Really??” Then the band came back on to whispers of “Hey, it’s them again”. “You mean that’s Buick6? They’re not British, that’s her band!” I felt like a real idiot.

Judging by the few new songs I’ve heard this summer the next album should be a keeper. Lu seems in good form, physically, musically and I assume mentally since she’s been hangin with a Minnesota dude. And to all those who wonder how she’s going to write those great heartache songs if she’s so darn happy: let her music keep evolving for chrissake. Just because most of us are stuck in a time warp doesn’t mean she has to be!