Although his last concert on Dutch soil was relatively recent, Gary Clark Jr. easily managed to sell out the Ronda in TivoliVredenburg in no time. A lot has happened in the past thirteen years when you look at the musical development of the 40-year-old Texan.
Initially, it was the blues fanatics who got very excited by his guitar antics and soulful vocals, but nowadays, fans of hip-hop, funk and R&B have also taken the musician to their hearts.
With this diversity, Clark Jr. has also attracted the attention of many well-known fellow musicians. We saw him appear at performances by major acts such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Mayer and The Roots, while in the studio he worked with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Foo Fighters.
It is therefore logical that even on this Monday evening a mixed audience headed towards the impressive music complex with the icing on the cake being the surprising entrance of two very special guests who were escorted inside under strict security before the start of the performance….
While MAGNUS BERG is given half an hour to deliver his calling card as a support act, some of the visitors have not yet managed to reach the venue. Under great secrecy, barrier tape is placed at the service desk and an increasing number of security personnel can be seen in the foyer.
In front of the entrance, the flashes of photographers can be seen and shortly afterwards we see the mayor of Utrecht, followed by Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix, pass by. Unlike former President Barack Obama, who rolled out the red carpet at the White House for Gary Clark Jr., these ladies choose not to expose their royal ears to the guitar violence in the Ronda but to be entertained during a performance by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir in the Grote Zaal where the founder, Ton Koopman, is celebrating his eightieth birthday.
Magnus Berg reportedly played his strings to pieces during the presentation of the material that can be found on his soon-to-be-released new album. The series of performances in the UK and in several European countries is a good opportunity to introduce himself to a large audience. The tour as a support act means that he plays to a sold-out audience almost everywhere and thus works on name recognition in a modest way. We will see him more often in the future.
Tonight it’s all about the man who presented his fourth new studio album ‘Jpeg Raw’ this spring and toured the world with it, eventually ending up in Utrecht for a show that lasted almost two and a half hours.
It was a performance in which Gary Clark Jr. displayed multiple facets of his musical development and that turned out to be not easy to digest for every visitor. The man who managed to conquer the hearts of many blues lovers with his first album and performances in the Netherlands has been busy broadening his musical horizon and that has clearly gone further than just the blues.
Gary Clark Jr. interprets in his own way and lets his love for soul, hip hop, jazz and country speak. When the funky intro of ‘Turn It Up Give It Shrooms’ sung by James Brown sounds and the new ‘Maktub’ is started, you see both raised eyebrows and interested looks in the audience.
The African percussion and matching vocal sounds, “Time for a new revolution, Yeah!”, according to the singer, say something about the experimental side he has sought, but at the same time it is nothing more than African blues. Not only is a carpet of atmospheric sounds laid, it is a long carpet that is rolled out tonight in which the band subtly fans out to all directions. The country from the southern states, native rhythmic sounds, but also Latin influences all pass by in a set that is bursting at the seams with diversity. New musical boundaries are defined but also crossed.
Things become a little easier when the pounding ‘Ain’t Messin’ Round’ comes along, which always has something of ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way’, the big hit by Lenny Kravitz. The rousing bass and drum work in combination with the nimble and especially smooth guitar solos of King Zapata and Clark Jr. unleash a lot of enthusiasm.
The audience is clearly into it and the appreciation of the band is very clear. Clark Jr. thanks the audience for their appreciation and especially the energy that inspires him as always. “I’ve often wondered if it’s wise to bring them, sometimes I hate them but I also love them dearly”, he has to laugh about it himself when he introduces his sisters who provide the backing vocals. Secretly he’s also quite proud and sometimes it seems like a genuinely nice family outing.
Still, there is no escaping the division in the room when you unleash so many styles on the audience at the same time. Just like the previous meeting in the Netherlands, there is also some discomfort to be noticed.
Yet that suddenly disappears again when the mighty intro of ‘When My Train Pulls In’ sounds through the room. The band seems extremely comfortable, even when the guitar solo threatens to fly in all directions.
“We’ll I’m ready now when my train pulls in” after which the roaring guitars make the bottles at the bar vibrate. This is exactly what the older fans have come for and how nice then when this ‘new’ blues classic almost reaches the ten-minute mark.
The fact that there has also been a collaboration with the great Stevie Wonder is of course great fun, but here no one seems to be really waiting for ‘What About The Children’ even though it is one of the better compositions that has come from the famous multi-instrumentalist in the past decade. When the powerful riffs of ‘Bright Lights’ sound, only happy faces can be seen.
Few could have imagined ten years ago how easily this talented guest would ever sell out a large venue like this one tonight. The set is stretched out nicely and for those who had to miss Magnus Berg at the beginning of the evening, the joyous fact is that he will be allowed to show up again to show his guitar skills together with the main act during Albert Collins’ If Trouble Was Money’.
Gary Clark Jr. and his fantastic band have finally managed to send everyone home with a satisfied feeling. It was another interesting evening…
