July 29, 2013 – Canadian rock icon, 6-time Juno Award winner and 17-time Maple Blues Award winner Colin James played Safari Niagara on Friday night as part of Safari Niagara’s Concert Series 2013 capping a spectacular night of rock and blues that also featured fellow Juno Award and 4-time Maple Blues Award winner Hamilton’s Steve Strongman along with Juno Award nominee David Gogo, who each gave blistering performances.
James’ band is comprised of the guitar wizard Chris Cadell on guitar, Jesse O’Brien on keyboards (who also joined his cousin Steve Strongman for a couple songs), Al Webster on drums and Maury LaFoy on bass.
After making a slightly late start, James kicked off the show with Savior from the 1995 Bad Habits album and kept things rocking with a cross section of songs spanning his 25+ year career and of course played all his biggest hits including Just Came Back, Voodoo Thing, Five Long Years and one of the best examples of that distinctive Fender Stratocaster sound, Why’d You Lie.
He also tossed in some gems like Dylan’s Watching the River Flow, Fleetwood Mac’s often covered Oh Well and Van Morrison’s Into The Mystic. Highlight of the night was the last encore, a Hot Tuna-inspired version of the Billy Boy Arnold classic blues I Wish You Would where James and Cadell took turns with searing solos. Cadell was a gig of the night during this year’s CMW for a blazing performance. He can be found around most town Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Set List
Savior
Sweet’s Gone Sour
Watching the River Flow
Freedom
I’ll See It Through
Man’s Gotta Be A Stone
Voodoo Thing
Why’d You Lie
Johnny Coolman
Oh Well
Five Long Years
More Than You Needed
Stones In My Passway
Just Came Back
It Ain’t Over Yet
Keep On Loving Me Baby
Encore
Into The Mystic
Ain’t Nothing You Can Do
I Wish You Would
Since we first saw Comfortably Numb for Floyd Fest there, Safari Niagara is quickly becoming one of our favourite open air venues. With a capacity of 4500, there’s a great view of the stage and great sound from anywhere in the amphitheatre. The hard core fans will of course cram the front of the stage, but most of the audience finds a spot on the lawn with a blanket or their folding chairs for a festival environment. With the trees lining the area behind the stage, there’s a wonderful park atmosphere and it’s topped off with some premium food options available.
By Steve Mallinson
T-Mak World: Toronto’s Site for Music, Movies and Culture
