George Thorogood at Coyote's

By Jason Koerner

George Thorogood and the Destroyers made their way through Louisville on March 15, appearing at Coyote's downtown. While tickets were a hefty $30 each, the price was well worth it to many of his fans. The turnout was good and from what I saw, mostly well behaved. The crowd lined up early to check out the opening act, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and to get their spots up front for the opportunity to see George up close and personal. It was a great night for rock & roll, drinking and having a good time!

The supporting act, Cross Canadian Ragweed, opened the night with the energy needed to get things underway. The crowd was very responsive to their music and interactions. While this was my first time seeing/hearing of them, I was quickly brought into their sound. I also noticed that many audience members knew every word to their songs. This speaks loudly for the group. They put on a great show... good ol' rock and roll with a southern flavor. They have a country-rock sound that works well for them commercially. Their bass player was incredible and I really felt small after seeing him solo a few times. The man can jam, lemme' tell ya'! The band will be on the road with George Thorogood until March 26. After that, they have other dates with various well-known country artists, as well as one night with KISS. You heard me right, KISS (and Tesla). Be sure to pick up their CD/DVD combo, Garage, for $15 online at www.crosscanadianragweed.com.

Of course, Thorogood played his hits: "Bad to the Bone," "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," "Move it On Over," "Get a Haircut," "I Drink Alone," "Who Do You Love," etc, etc... but he also pulled out enough material from his lesser-known archives to fill a rather lengthy set. His band helped him fill in the gaps with some impressive soloing and in between songs, he entertained the crowd with his charisma and sense of humor. George got just close enough to those of us in the front row during his show-off moments to make you think a high-five was eminent, but apparently he is not as social as he would appear. I saw no `high-five' moments that night and was a bit disappointed in that. C'mon, George, show us some love! For thirty bucks a head at my concert, I would be handing out my home phone number to die hard fans! But hey, I am not a thirty-year music veteran/legend, either.

The sound at the show was very surprising... it was actually good! I guess I have been hanging out at one too many metal shows lately, because it always seems that things are so loud and distorted, notes and words are unintelligible. The guys running sound that night know the importance of keeping stage volume low and letting the PA do the work. This is essential when you are dealing with a band that features a horn player such as their saxophonist (who is quite good, by the way) and has alternating solos amongst instruments.

George Thorogood is obviously a pioneer and legend in his own time in the world of rock and blues, but he is also a touring machine! He started this most recent leg on March 1 in Oklahoma City and is going non-stop the rest of the month, then continuing his US dates in May. In June, Thorogood tours Scotland, England, Sweden, Holland (yes, Amsterdam!), Belgium and Denmark. Whew! In July and August it's back to the States again. George may be the second hardest-working man in show business. With all this touring, G.T. has yet to put out a new disc for us in a while... I am sure this is something he has up his sleeve after the dust settles from his globetrotting.

I would highly recommend any fan of his to check him out the next time he comes to town. If you are a newcomer to the world of Thorogood, there is plenty of material out there to get a taste of. Visit www.georgethorogood.com for all the latest information on the man and his Destroyers.