Review by Shawn Perry
Photos by Ron Lyon
I was really looking forward to seeing Johnny and Edgar Winter together on stage when I first heard that the Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest was rolling through town. But then, unfortunately, Johnny Winter surprisingly passed away on July 16. Ever the trooper, Edgar decided if the tour was still going forward, he would dedicate his performance to his brother. And with that, Edgar Winter, along with Vanilla Fudge, Pete Rivera (original drummer and singer of Rare Earth, and Savoy Brown’s Kim Simmonds, went ahead with the month-long tour, including a show at the City National Grove of Anaheim.
It began with Kim Simmonds, backed by the Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest “house band” featuring guitarist Doug Rappoport, bassist Koko Powell, and drummer Jason Carpenter, for a four-song, blues-based set. Simmonds, who has led Savoy Brown for nearly 50 years, didn’t miss a trick as he suavely maneuvered through “Going To The Delta,” “Nuthin’ Like The Blues,” “Cobra” and “Poor Girl.” A Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest veteran, Simmonds worked the crowd as he laid down some tasty leads, sang with conviction, and interacted with the band as if they’ve been playing together forever. Definitely a nice way to start things off.
A couple minutes after Simmonds’ set, Pete Rivera was behind the drums for his time in the spotlight. As I would tell him during a meet-and-greet later that night, I had the privilege of seeing the singing drummer with Rare Earth when they opened the California Jam in 1974. We both couldn’t believe that event took place 40 years ago! Back then Rare Earth was an anomaly as one of the few all-white bands signed to Motown Records. Their blend of blue-eyed soul, however, appealed to both rock and R&B audiences.
Rivera’s set included covers of the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” and “Get Ready” — both hits for Rare Earth in the early 70s — along with “Hey Big Brother” (a cautionary and timely tale, as Rivera observed, of the Internet age) and “I Just Want To Celebrate,” which got the crowd on their feet to sing and clap along.
Next up was Vanilla Fudge. The last time I had seen them, original drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tim Bogert were joined by keyboardist / vocalist Bill Pascali and guitarist Teddy Rondinelli. Tonight, original keyboardist / vocalist Mark Stein, guitarist Vince Martell, and Appice made up the core band with Koko Powell filling in for Bogert, who retired in 2011.
The minute they opened with “Take Me For A Little While,” everyone was transformed back to the late 60s when the Fudge hit their stride with their unique flavor of psychedelia married with R&B. Their cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” showed they can still harmonize vocally, while “Shotgun” exhibited their penchant for rocking soul. Both Appice and Powell got in solos before the Fudge finished up their set with their 1967 debut single, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” The crowd came alive as Stein killed it with his high-flying vocals, seemingly untarnished by the 47 years since the band first emerged.
There was a short intermission before Edgar Winter, the night’s final act, hit the stage just before 10:00. It was almost as if Winter’s set, which lifted off with “Johnny B. Goode,” was as much of a tribute to Led Zeppelin as it was to brother Johnny. Rappoport, Powell, and Carpenter — actually Edgar’s regular band — had no reservations about working in a bit of “Kashmir” on the back-end of “Tobacco Road,” while a cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” was a virtual carbon copy of Zeppelin’s version. Winter and Rappoport even traded vocal and guitar scats ala Plant and Page, throwing in a short teasing of the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” before the guitarist dazzled the audience with some behind-the-head riffery.
Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” and the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” staples in Johnny Winter’s set, were performed in tribute to the recently departed guitarist. Simmonds returned to join Edgar and company for the former, while Vanilla Fudge and Peter Rivera came up for the grand finale of the Stones classic. It was interesting to see Rivera behind Appice’s set while Appice himself manned the timpani drums. Together, all the musicians seemed to be having the time of their lives, taking turns trading licks and singing the chorus. A well-earned standing ovation confirmed that the Rock ‘n’ Blues Fest, in its third year, has the legs to go forward. We’ll see what they come up with for 2015.
