Concert Report : Jonny Lang and Los Lonely Boys

Well, I'm finally back from the Jonny Lang/Los Lonely Boys show. It was awesome! We were treated to nearly three hours of entertainment, not counting the opening act. The opener was a local guy and his band, and they were decent but not as good as Los Lonely Boys. I pity the guy, because opening for two great acts is a no-win situation except for exposure.

Only twenty minutes after the opening act's last song, Jonny Lang and his band came out and started playing like they meant business. This is the second time I've seen Jonny in concert, and the first I've seen him play the electric guitar. He played it well, taking a few long solos. His singing was spot-on as well. He was backed by a full band, including a rhythm guitar player, organ/piano guy, drummer, bassist, and a singer from Nashville. Nearly everyone got a solo sometime in the set.

Jonny played a few songs from his new album, and some of his older stuff as well, including "Red Light," "Wander This World," "A Quitter Never Wins" and "I Am." He really brought the house down with some of his solos! I think he sang stronger in the last concert, but he wasn't taking a night off either. His band was really good too, playing very well together. The drummer was very good, but Ringo Garza was the best drummer of the night by far. The sound setup was excellent, with bass you could feel right in your chest.

Jonny played from 7:40 until nearly 9:00. Then, after a half-hour break to set things up, Los Lonely Boys took the stage. They rocked the place! Most of the songs they played were from their latest album, Sacred, and they chose the best songs from that album to perform. They opened with "Oye Mamacita," a fairly good choice, but I would have started with something a little faster and harder. They continued with "Roses" and "Never Met A Woman," with a couple bluesy numbers in between for variety. They also played "Nobody Else" from their debut. Their harmonies were dazzling and their musicianship was absolutely stunning.

After all these great songs, the Boys put it all on the table and played a 30-minute version of "Onda." It began with a few minutes of guitar soloing by Henry, who is a really amazing guitar player! He showed off his skills for the enjoyment of everyone, and then was joined by his brothers in a little jam. This made me realize what was missing from their latest album - a good instrumental jam to show how well they can play together.

The basic structure of "Onda" was there, but the Boys improvised quite a bit. My favorite part was a call-and-response between Henry and Jojo on bass, first, and then Henry and Ringo on drums. It was really cool to see the brothers play like that together. A little more jamming, a bass solo by Jojo, more jamming, and then a nearly ten-minute drum solo by Ringo, helped out by Jojo! I think the drum solo went on a little too long, but it was awesome nonetheless. Then the Boys finally drove the song home and made the crowd beg for mercy.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the Boys announced a very special guest - their own father, Enrique! Ok, he probably follows them around when they tour, but it was still cool to have them bring him out. He joined them on the one song I thought they wouldn't play in concert - "Outlaws." They just cut out Willie Nelson's verse to make the song work.

After that, they announced that there would be one more song. Which song? "Heaven," of course! It was a very lengthy version, with plenty of amazing guitar work by Henry. I knew they'd play it at some time during the night, and they proved me right.

Los Lonely Boys really made the night sweet for me. They all played amazingly well and rocked the house. I wish they had played a few more songs off their debut album, or played "Diamonds" from their new album, but still I loved the concert as it was.

I am very lucky to have seen two great rock acts in the same show, and it's a show I'll not soon forget. Regardless of what you think of their studio work, go see Los Lonely Boys when they come to your town, especially if you love guitar. That was the big theme of the night - awesome guitar playing and lots of it.