Author: Jernej Vene
Venue: Rockhouse bar, Salzburg
Concert date: 19.11.2006
Attendance: 140
Ticket price: 15 EUR
The crew of tried-and-tested, seasoned rockologists was on the road again. Poba and Vene, beefed up this time by expert Draga(o)n Bulič, didn’t think twice when they heard that Canadian guitar wizard Pat Travers was playing Salzburg, which is not exactly next door but not that far away either. The afternoon drive was a pleasant one, with some autumn rain tagging along for a while before it finally gave up on the northern side of the Tauern Alps. We rolled in nice and easy to the Rockhouse venue, which has been booking rock acts since 1993. As we all know, Salzburg used to be famous for its salt mines. The building where Travers was playing is set right up against a hill, and I had a hunch we’d be seeing some signs of that trade. Rockhouse does have a hall for 400 people, but Travers was put in the little bar next door instead, which is pretty tiny, though just under 140 of us still squeezed in. And that bar really did look like a vaulted mine tunnel, old bricks on the ceiling and all.
Ten minutes to nine, the lads and the gentleman stepped onto the stage and immediately blasted through two punchy numbers. Pat Travers put out his first record back in 1976, and his music may be less known in our parts, but that Monday it was tailor-made for the mostly seasoned listeners in the room. Pat Travers has three excellent musicians at his side, and together they built a compact blues rock mass that rolled right up to the edge of the stage and kept showering us with sonic cannonades. Pat Travers is a better guitarist than singer, but his vocal delivery is so raspy and convincing that it grabs hungry ears right away. Pat Travers wowed us with exceptional guitar technique, weaving it through the vocal lines and the devoted sonic backdrop. There’s no guitar trick he doesn’t know, and he dealt out his solo salvos loud and with pinpoint precision. The rhythm section was as tight as it should be for people who still know that real music is the kind that wins you over live. The drummer-and-bassist duo didn’t let us breathe for a second. Pat Travers mostly played a Paul Reed Smith Singlecut trem, similar to a Gibson Les Paul, and he was tireless with the effects, clearly enjoying the wah-wah and, at one point, even a variant of the talk box that’s very rare these days (Peter Frampton used to play one, as did Mick Box of Uriah Heep, and later Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and Leo Leoni of Gotthard in the form of a mouth tube). Travers was great at chatting with the crowd and told plenty of fun stories. Before the song Elijah, he explained that it’s dedicated to his eight-year-old son, who plays on his school soccer team. He stressed that it’s European football we’re talking about. The kids played in the school championship and came second, and they didn’t lose any sleep over not winning. Travers said the drive to make it was stronger in himself when he was young, and that today’s youth are mostly too quick to be satisfied with what they’ve achieved. For one song he switched to a Vigier Stratocaster, which he played with a brass slide on his middle finger. He showed it to us (the slide, that is) and said Bonnie Raitt plays the same way, laughing heartily as he said it. Travers only released a new studio album of original songs last year, after nine years, and in between he lined up quite a few albums of covers of blues and rock classics. The Salzburg show was also a mix of proven hits from the late seventies, reworked classics and newer songs. Among the covers he played Oh pretty woman by Albert King, which we know from the versions by Gary Moore and its author, and this time it sounded like it came from another planet…Even more surprising was his take on If I had possession over judgement day by Robert Johnson, which got its makeover two years ago with Eric Clapton. Travers started it slow and bluesy, but after the first chorus faded, all four of them dropped into a fierce boogie that took your breath away and set off waves of excitement in the crowd. More than once, Travers and rhythm guitarist Kirk McKim dove into fluid, flying passages played in thirds, which is pure balm for guitar-loving ears. Bassist Rick Navarro and drummer Eric Frates also got their own little solo spots, the latter looking like a 120-kilo member of the Kelly Family, but we all know looks don’t count. He proved himself a brilliant and inventive artist, and after the show he chatted away with fans, friendly as can be, like all real pros. With the well-known classic Boom Boom (Out go the lights), Pat Travers wrapped up the main set. As always with that one, the crowd joined in on the chorus, and this time was no different. For the encore he treated us to the Albert King classic Born under a bad sign with an outstanding guitar intro. After the show Pat headed straight for the lobby, where plenty of us fans had a relaxed chat with him and thanked him for the good stuff! We got an energetic, emotionally charged show that restored our faith in honest blues boogie rock!
Jernej Vene
Setlist
01. Hooked On Music
02. Life In London
03. Crash And Burn
04. I Don’t Care
05. Heat In The Street
06. Elijah
07. Stevie
08. Red House
09. If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
10. Oh Pretty Woman
11. PT Nuts / Linos & Lucy
12. Snortin’ Whiskey
13. Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)
—encore—
14. Born Under A Bad Sign
Pat Travers – guitar, vocals
Rick Navarro – bass
Eric Frates – drums, vocals
Kirk McKim – guitar, vocals
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