Johnny played more or less the usual set, mostly material from the NYC 1998 CD. Unfortunately, he only played one slide song, Sun Is Shining.
I had never seen him live before. I've mostly listened to his Johnny Winter And Live LP and a few others from that era, which I consider brilliant. When he first appeared on stage, I was shocked, as was much of the audience. He had to be guided to the microphone by a crew member. He looked as if he were around 75 years old. In fact, I know people in their seventies who look much younger than Johnny (he’s 55 now).
Still, once he reached the mic, he began playing Hideaway. There were some flaws, but given the first impression, we were surprised he could even play. As the show progressed, he gained more fluidity and speed, especially during Black Jack Game and Drop the Bomb. He started to sound more like the Johnny Winter we all know, although at only about 60-65% of the speed he used to reach in his prime. This lack of speed was less noticeable on the slide guitar. I think he should play more slide—four songs or so would be great. He still has a good feel with the slide and his Firebird. For the rest of the set, he used the white Erlewine.
Throughout the show, he played without moving his right arm at all. His movements were entirely restricted to his hand, wrist, and mostly his fingers. He also had a continuous side-to-side rocking motion, even when the songs were over and he was backstage waiting for the encore. I wonder if he has Parkinson's, though I’m not sure. He seemed very stiff. At one point, when changing guitars, he couldn’t even plug the cord in himself—he needed help. He always had assistance when switching guitars, and I doubt he could manage to pass the strap over his head due to the size of the movement required.
After the concert, we went to his bus to get our tickets signed. Although we didn’t actually see Johnny signing them, his manager took the tickets, closed the door, and returned about 10 minutes later with them signed. Who knows—maybe Johnny was already resting and someone else signed for him. Still, it was a nice souvenir.
Overall, I would see Johnny Winter again, but it’s heartbreaking to witness him in his current state. He still has some great guitar playing left in him, though.
Goodbye.
