July 31, 2006
Birchmere, Alexandria, VA
It was the hottest Monday night on record, and that wasn’t
just due to the record heat wave that the Washington, DC area
was embroiled in. While the mercury hit about 99 degrees
outside, Peter White, Jeff Golub, Richard Elliott and Gerald
Albright were heating up the crowd inside the Birchmere.
Peter White was first to take the stage with his crowd favorite, “Promenade.” That
put everyone in party mode right from the start. We could
tell right away that Peter was in rare form and ready to have
fun. He was then joined on stage by Richard Elliott,
who gave us “Inside Out” from his CD, Metro
Blue. Next to grace the stage was Jeff
Golub, playing “Dangerous Curves.” This was
the first time I had seen Jeff in concert and it certainly
won’t be my last. He blew me away right from the
beginning and it only got better. The difference between
Peter and Jeff is like day and night, but both showed their
strengths. Gerald Albright then came out to the tune
of “We Got the Groove.” Very cool.
What was really fun about this night was that each of these
artists played solo songs and then accompanied each other on
other hits. For example, Peter White with Jeff Golub
on Peter’s “Whose That Lady”; Jeff and Gerald
playing note for note on “Cold Duck Time”; and
Richard with Peter on “Mystique/Secret Love.” Gerald
held the crowd with every note on “My, My, My”;
Jeff poured his soul into “Naked City,” which he
said was written when he first moved to New York City and was
very alone; and Richard made his sax purr during “People
Make the World Go ‘Round.” It was outstanding!
When Peter hit the first few notes of “Bueno Funk,” a
very exuberant fan shouted out “YES!” which stopped
Peter in his tracks – okay that was me, but that song
is a favorite. And the rest of the crowd thought so,
too. Joined by Gerald and Richard, who were playing
sax directly into each of Peter’s ears, it was one of
the best performances of this song. The show continued
with each artist moving in and out of songs and ended with
all four onstage for “Funky Stuff.”
The Guitars & Saxes tour has been around for several years
now and there have been several incarnations of the foursome
providing the incredible music. This group and this show
is one never to be forgotten and definitely one to catch in
years to come.
- Bonnie Schendell |
