Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Joe Schaeffer
He came, he bent the strings in all the right places, he conquered. There you have it: My review of Robin Trower. There’s a lot more to it than that, though that’s pretty much the gist. For roughly 85 minutes, it was pure mastery of the Stratocaster, steadily anchored by bassist Richard Watts and drummer Chris Taggart, on a minimalist stage with nothing more than instruments, amps, and a backdrop comprising the enlarged cover of Trower’s 2019 studio release Coming Closer To The Day.
Playing to what appeared to be a full house, the veteran guitarist and his two sidekicks delivered a robust, sticky 12-song set that acutely accentuated the various moods and shades one man’s brain can send to his fingers. Before that all happened, Katy Guillen & The Girls, a young power trio from Kansas City opening all of Trower’s west coast shows, came out for five songs that aroused a lively response from a crowd of folks mostly over 50.
Though Guillen’s vocals could have been brought up a bit louder in the mix, her blues-based guitar work cut through, with the no-nonsense drumming of Stephanie Williams and bassist Claire Adams in her corner, perking up ears from front to back. The group’s latest album, Remember What You Knew Before, is of a completely different flavor than what the trio played tonight — mellower, more country-based — yet equally engaging. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
Robin Trower, Richard Watts, and Chris Taggart took their places promptly at 9:00, and immediately fell into “Too Rolling Stoned.” Watts, who’s been working with Trower for over 20 years, took the vocals, as he would on all the “classic” songs originally sung by the late James Dewar. Of course, Trower himself is stepping up to the mic these days and crooning in his low-key, bluesy tone, as he did on both “Diving Bell” and “Lonesome Road” from Coming Closer To The Day. It seems to suit the pace and nature of the material.
He continues to make records, playing all instruments except the drums. But Trower’s only too aware what the fans mostly want to hear is his guitar on the hits of his career. To that end, he does not disappoint, stretching out far and wide, turning hip-shaking rockers like “The Fool and Me,” “The Day of The Eagle” and “Little Bit of Sympathy” into epic 10-minute exercises. This enables Trower to shape and mold the notes into emotive screams of joy and ecstasy.
The atmosphere thickened and intensified during slower numbers like “Bridge of Sighs” and “Daydream.” On the latter, the rhythm came to a firm crawl as Trower dug in, rubbing out subtle, almost whispering tones that surely put lumps in the throats of everyone within the first five rows. Watts and Taggart stood at the ready, patience in play as their boss stepped forward, his face contorting with every slide across the frets, a sly smile to let you know he’s taking you and everyone else in the room for a long walk.
During the encore, the anxious ones in the back could wait no more as they descended onto the first section for a closer look. The fluttering notes of “For Earth Below” brushed over the faithful like a blessings from the Gods. Encores are typically celebratory and upbeat. Not tonight. Robin Trower wanted to make sure each and every body in the vicinity could fully feel the power of his touch. Without question, the spell lingered for a good 20 minutes after the Grove of Anaheim emptied out.
