Last Friday (November 11) was the long awaited Al Stewart /
Gary Wright concert at the Wildey Theater. I say long awaited, because the concert was
originally scheduled to be August 20, but had to be rescheduled. And the Concert was announced May 17th,
and quickly sold out. So there was a 6
month lag (almost) from when I bought tickets until the show. No matter, it was worth the wait!
First off, The Wildey.
One of my all time favorite venues.
A converted movie theater in downtown Edwardsville, IL. Originally built in 1909, it has charm, good acoustics
and about 330 super cozy seats.
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The Empty Pockets are a band out of Chicago, I had never
heard of them. I don’t know how they got
the gig, but they played as opening act, then backed up both “headliners”. And they did a really good job! I picked up their newest album at the show,
always happy to support new acts. I didn’t
make note of their setlist, but listening to their album (and checking their
web site) I’m pretty sure they played these songs (at least): All I Need, The Barstool, You Know I Do, Find
Or Fail… Plus one of the best versions
of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah I’ve heard.
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Al Stewart came on next.
He was still pretty spry at 71 years old, and his voice has held up
well. His between song banter was great. He played about an hour, the following songs
(in order): Sirens Of Titan, Palace Of
Versailles, Gina In The Kings Road, Time Passages, On The Border, Midas Shadow,
SoHo (Needless To Say), Valentina Way, Year Of The Cat.
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After a short break, Gary Wright took the stage. At 73, he’s not quite as spry… Not particularly mobile, and did not play
keyboards (except for a few chords on one or two songs). But his voice is still strong, and he certainly
seemed engaged. His
set was shorter, about 40 minutes, but (predictably) more rocking that Stewart’s. The Empty Pockets especially seemed to be having
fun. Gary Wright’s set (in order): Can’t Find No Mercy, Better By You (SpookyTooth), I Know, Someone Like You, Love Taker, Love Is Alive, Dream Weaver.
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