Brian played with his orchestra and also did a short trio set, a la Stray Cats, with Mark Winchester on slap bass and Bernie Dresel on a snare/cymbal set. What a performance! The orchestra brass were all in bowling shirts and hair, and had a synch/swing/play kind of groove happening, all at light speed, and all the while Brian the Guitar Pixie was lickin' and riffin' his way back and forth across the stage and even into the bandstand. They played a few new tunes, but really spent a lot of time on Stray Cats classics and well known Brian Setzer Orchestra hits. Brian played a couple of sharply finished (one a gorgeous Candy Apple Red Setzer model!) signature Gretschs at first, which actually sounded a bit thin and weak. But when he got the '59 out and turned up the Showman, the tone and feel were instantly there. The concert hall was hopping for almost 3 hours
A very pleasant surprise was his opening act, Irma Thomas - the Soul Queen of New Orleans. A fantastic show, celebrating her 50 years in show biz
She performed her 1964 version of Time Is On My Side, and later brought the house to their feet with Simply The Best. Unfortunately, not a Rick in sight. However, after the show finished and we left the hall to venture into the very crowded downtown Montreal streets filled with thousands Jazz aficionados taking in the free shows, I could not stop bopping. We danced our way through the crowds until well after midnight, finally reaching the car and the short trip home. What a great evening.
