The summer concert series at Artpark in Lewiston NY is winding down and oneof the best shows of the year took to the outdoor stage this past Tuesday night. Boz Scaggs brought his soulful groove and a long list of hits to a packed house.
Scaggs rarely plays the WNY area and a legion of fans came out to relax on their blankets and lawn chairs under peaceful, clear skies.His laid back style and rich voice were as good as ever as he played some extended versions of old hits and introduced some new tunes to a receptive crowd. The slow instrumental “Running Blues” opened the show followed by an uptempo “Jojo” which had fans singing along with joyful enthusiasm. Hits from his best selling “Silk Degrees” album were a highlight as he smoothly delivered “Georgia”, “Lowdown” and “Lido Shuffle”.His expert band and backup singer Miss Monet stretched their wings on”Until You Come Back To Me”, the Stevie Wonder song made famous by Aretha Franklin. A triple song encore featuring the classic Fenton Robinson hit”Loan Me A Dime” really showed off Scaggs mastery of the mellow style of R&B he made famous. The crowd response was extremely enthusiastic for such a relaxed show. They gave Scaggs and crew a loud send off seemingly telling him to not wait so long between appearances in WNY. As he left the stage,he took to the mic and promised to be back soon. Let’s hope he keeps that promise.
Opening the show was Don MacLean. The aging folk singer put on a great set with hits like “Vincent” and of course “American Pie.” It seemed everyone in the crowd stood up to sing along. MacLean’s voice has seen better days but his delivery and stage presence have never been better as many fans applauded every song.
Setlist:
Running Blues
Jojo
Some Change
Georgia
Harbor Lights
Miss Sun
Until You Come Back To Me (Stevie Wonder cover, Vocal by Miss Monet)
Look What You’ve Done To Me
Lowdown
Lido Shuffle
Encore:
What Can I Say
Loan Me A Dime
Sick and Tired
We would like to thank Maria Hays from Artpark for the credentials for the show.
