Master of blues
Jimmie Vaughan’s guitar expertise keeps Square-goers riveted
The crowd at this week’s Thursday at the Square performance was treated to a night full of the blues, but no one in attendance was sad about it.
Multiple Grammy Award winner Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s older brother, performed a fearless set Thursday night. The blues guitarist, oozing with energy and talent, effortlessly held the attention of fans as he performed with his Tilt-A-Whirl band.
Opening the show with an instrumental number, Vaughan took the stage dressed all in black, with a contrasting white guitar, and sporting his signature slicked-back hair. The fast-paced blues song immediately allowed Vaughan to exercise his superior guitar talent, but he didn’t hog the stage; he wasted no time showcasing his great band, stepping back on the first number to allow them to get acquainted with the crowd.
Vaughan’s fingers were relentless as they traveled up and down the guitar, and his talent came so naturally. He wailed on the guitar so nonchalantly, so effortlessly, it was easy to forget how incredibly talented he is. It must be good to be a Vaughan brother.
As he performed good old-fashioned blues rock, each song had a unifying sound, but was unique, and Vaughan’s powerful, raspy but clear voice went hand in hand with the music.
Most of the songs performed were light on the lyrics, and as the audience (which had a great range of age) danced and clapped along, it was all about the great music.
At the beginning of the night, the crowd at the Square looked as if it were going to be smaller than normal, but by the time Vaughan took the stage, the audience stretched well into the adjoining streets.
As he began performing “Texas Flood,” his younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan’s song, the crowd broke into cheers, and no one could help from swaying along and losing themselves in the music. Vaughan’s talent, as well as his band’s, mixed with the perfect evening made for one of the better and more enjoyable Square performances of the summer.
There are typically two types of people at Thursday at the Square: those who come for the music, and those who come for the atmosphere. It’s always easy to spot people simply standing around socializing, but Thursday night, no one took their eyes off the stage. The bluesy performance was captivating, and exactly what the crowd came to see.
Vaughan was preceded by JJ Grey & Mofro, who performed a much longer set than most openers, rounding out an hour and a half of performance time. But the blues band with a hint of funk put on a powerful show. With great showmanship and matching skill, they could have headlined the show and easily entertained the crowd all night. Made up of bass, organ, drums, guitar, trumpet and saxophone, their performance was full and robust.
REVIEW
WHO: Jimmie Vaughan with JJ Grey and Mofro
WHEN: Thursday night
WHERE: Lafayette Square
