Walter Trout & PF at Alhambra Paris

Walter Trout in Paris is an opportunity not to be missed and so it proves as Walter and his road tested band bring a capacity seated audience to its feet

On a personal note it’s 35 years since I first approached him about touring the UK in his own right, and tonight is a potent reminder of what initially drew me to his impassioned rock blues.

All these years later he has little to prove, as he’s cemented his own legacy from being an acclaimed sideman with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat and John Mayall Blues Breakers, to being an internationally recognised solo artist with a startling 31 solo albums and counting.

It’s also ten years since he survived a near death experience, which gives his songs real substance and infuses his performance with an abundance of passion.

He’s a supreme guitarist with a locker full of well crafted songs spanning rock, blues, boogie, and ballads with meaningful personal narratives.

Then there’s his connection with his worldwide fans, as evidenced tonight by his ability to charm an urbane Parisian crowd in the elegant Alhambra Theater.

He takes centre stage, with outstretched arms in a welcoming pose, and quickly rides rough shot over any potential linguistic problems with the opening swagger of ‘I Can Tell’, his trademark opening power shuffle.

He retains an ability to connect with people, on the heartfelt ‘Courage In The Dark’, as he delivers the lyrics almost as a sermon within a sultry groove:

“All we can do is hope and pray for just a single ray of light And the way to light a candle, You know it only takes a spark And we all need a little courage in the dark.”

He clearly knows the value of dynamics switching from the deepest groove to the counted-in, metaphorically rich and riff driven “Wanna Dance”, which leads to a mix of clapping and fist pumping.

Trout then finds the perfect balance on the melodically uplifting sweep of ‘Ride’ and he ambitiously duets with bassist Jon Avila on ‘Broken’, the title track of his new album. Originally co-sung by Beth Hart, it comes with a significant explanatory intro.

‘Bleed’ is similarly introduced by a lighting romp through his own boogie credits. And from this point onwards he’s flying, as he ushers in the presence of recent band addition Brett Smith-Daniel.

While Brett provides a gentle acoustic wash on ‘Courage In The Dark’, he’s given full reign to shred on ‘We’re All In This Together’.

The song illustrates Trout’s ability to pull together musical jigsaw pieces, by incorporating the full talents of his road tested band members on an evolving set of songs.

Keyboard player Roland Bakker leads a stripped down bluesy showcase which finds Trout on vocals alone. And when he finally does join on guitar he shows us an inherent ability to build a song from the ground up.

And it’s back to flat out rocking on ‘I’ve Had Enough’, on which John Avila again impresses with his vocal versatility, filling in for album guest Dee Snider on a pile driver of a track, as Michael Leasure provides unrelenting drive.

The on stage energy levels frequently belies Trout’s septuagenarian status and medical history. Then again, it’s the fact he’s able to bring his experience to bear on both his songs and stage craft that marks him out as special and leaves us into no doubt as to his irrepressible passion for what he does.

Tonight he and his band give everything they’ve got, and he climaxes the set by generously giving his band members the spotlight on Floyd Lee’s ‘Red Sun.’

Bakker tears into his Hammond, and there’s an almost free jazz moment as Avila’s staccato bass notes are underpinned by Leasure’s subtle phrasing

Leasure’s subsequent solo masters the art of appearing to be laid back while delivering intensity, with everything from paradiddles and press rolls, to changing the pitch of his snare drum with his elbow and a full blown 4 way coordinated rhythm pattern.

Trout then seizes the moment to lead the band intro a ripping version of Don Nix’s ‘Going Down’, complete with Avila on blood curdling falsetto, by which time the whole theatre is on its feet roaring him on to a well earned triumph.

Review by Pete Feenstra
Photo by Anne Pioton

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)