Review by Donna Erichsen
Photos by George Bekris
After 40 years on the road, George Thorogood and the Destroyers rocked the house with a good and solid show of pure raw energy in Connecticut. The Danielle Nicole Band warmed up the crowd with cuts from their upcoming EP before big, bad Thorogood hit the stage.
The audience was eager to be bad as well. There was an eclectic mix of longhair 20-somethings and gray-haired 60-somethings, some still sporting their long hair. The outcome of that mix was a pumped up crowd full of energy. Everyone was ready to rock, stomp, clap and shout out the words to the well-known tunes set in stone for the ages from 70s and 80s radio airplay.
Most of Thorogood’s songs are still played daily on stations across the country so his following has done nothing but grow over the years. His ageless sound is still as relevant now as it was back in the day. After all this time, Thorogood still retains the bad boy vibe he’s carried all these years and didn’t come up short in this performance.
The band had a good time and fed off the energy of the crowd. The Garde Theater is a relatively small house and intimate enough for a lot of interaction with the audience. Thorogood played to them all from the front row to the back of balcony. He and the Destroyers had all of the tried-and-true hits in the set to satisfy an audience primed up for “badness” and some good down home boogie blues.
They rolled out “Rock Party,” “Who Do You Love” and “The Fixer.” The crowd made sure Thorogood was not drinking alone and all by himself as cups were raised to spur him on to belt out tune after tune — “I Drink Alone,” “Move It on Over,” “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” followed by “Get A Haircut” and, of course, “Bad To The Bone.”
The Destroyers — drummer Jeff Simon, bassist Bill Blough, rhythm guitarist Jim Suhler and saxophonist Buddy Leach — and the ever great performer George Thorogood proved that they are indeed Badder Than Ever and a perfect fit for the venue. I will go back any time I get the chance when Thorogood brings the b-b-b-b-b-a-a-a-d Destroyers back to town.
