I've seen Johnny in concert three times, and the first was definitely the best. That show was in Gainesville, FL, in the mid-eighties at the Florida Theater. The warm-up band was Crosscut Saw, featuring former Winter sideman Pat Ramsey on harp. Rumor has it that Johnny once said he'd never share a stage with Pat again after critics (Rolling Stone) started calling Pat a co-star. Whether that's true or not, there was a definite tension that pushed both performers to put on one hell of a concert. I started calling Johnny Winter "Bionic Johnny" after that show because of the never-ending blizzard of notes coming from his guitar. The crowd went wild—they drank the bar out of beer. I saw, from a window, runners getting kegs from neighboring bars!
The second show was in Tallahassee. While it was a great show, it paled in comparison to the first. Now (Tue., 23/09/97), after a long wait, I've had the honor of seeing him again. The warm-up band was the Pat Ramsey Band—déjà vu. Pat and his non-permanent, rapidly assembled band showed no signs of a lack of practice. They definitely rocked the house. Rumor again has it that they may be opening for Johnny Winter in North Carolina at his request. If anyone is going to that show, don't be late, or you'll miss a good band.
Even after reading about Johnny's health on this list, I was somewhat shocked by how frail he seemed. He moved very deliberately and rocked from side to side while playing, like some blind performers do. He did spin around one time in the encore, much to the crowd’s delight. His playing was slower and not as fluid as before. He seemed to try to play some riffs, only to give up when his hands wouldn’t do what his mind wanted, even stopping playing altogether for a moment at one point. The bass player did a great job of holding the songs together without stepping on Johnny’s toes. His vocals were timid, and his trademark growl was gone. An irritating hum in the sound system didn’t help matters. The crowd cheered him to the stage but seemed a little taken aback when he started playing. Soon, though, they got into the groove of things and began cheering him on.
I hope this is an "on the way to recovery" tour and not a "last gasp" tour. And I really hope it’s not an "I’m broke" tour. He puts on a better show in bad health than many performers do in good health. I just hope he improves—it’s too early for the "guitar slinger" to hang up his ax. The last rumor I heard at the show, from some folks who had been backstage, was that Johnny had downed a fifth of Absolut vodka while eating an entire package of Fig Newtons. Seems hard to believe, but maybe that's the lubrication and fuel he needs to make it through a show—breakfast of champions. Take it with a grain of salt.
There was some discussion on local radio this morning, echoing the discussion in the mailing list, and quite a few complaints about the quality of the sound. The Moon's sound equipment was near state of the art twelve years ago but now needs serious upgrading.
