September brought a unique experience that I haven’t had in years. What was it, you ask? Due to circumstances, I took in just one show all month. That took place at the Music Hall for the Indigo Girls and Heather McIntyre. Things changed a lot in October as I was able to see Drew Holcomb with the Neighbors and opener Birdtalker, George Thorogood, Shovels and Rope with Majic Dust, ZZ Top and Cheap Trick outdoors with opener Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Chris Botti, the Allman Betts Band with Jo Ann Taylor, J D Simo and finished up the month with Melvin Seals and the JGB along with John Kadlicek. One performance all month followed by seven the next month, it’s crazy.

It was my first time seeing Indigo Girls and they did not disappoint. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers sang with a passion and performed with a purpose. They have a very loyal and supportive fan base that appreciates their talents. October brought with it one great show after another. There wasn’t a bad show all month.

I enjoyed ZZ Top and Cheap Trick a lot for the energy and enthusiasm they displayed. It’s amazing how rockers can perform at a high level into their seventies after all they have been through. My bitch is the fact that each headliner put in about 60 minutes for their set and I wish ZZ would have given all another 30 minutes to perform. I’ve seen Billy Gibbons with his own band before and they only played for an hour. I expect a ninety-minute performance by the headliner, especially at today’s ticket prices.

Chris Botti is a world-class horn player and was well received by those in attendance. He gave the audience all they could handle as he blended traditional jazz with romantic tunes, smooth jazz and rock-n-roll. His special guest artists included a wonderful young female violinist and a young man with an operatic voice. They gave inspired performances when they were spotlighted. Botti would be worth taking in if it fits your budget. I barely saw George Thorogood on a crazy night. What little I did hear confirmed that he still has a strong voice, tremendous guitar skills and he is still enjoying performing to audiences.

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors were a pleasant surprise, having only listened to them a few days earlier on Spotify. Drew is a talented songwriter and a good singer. His catchy tunes are upbeat and delivered with a smooth baritone sound. Take a listen to him on your favorite streaming service; you might just find yourself buying a ticket for an upcoming performance near you.

The biggest impression this month was delivered by the Allman Betts Band, touring in support of their debut album By the River. The son of Gregg Allman, Devon, has teamed up with the son of Dicky Betts, Duane, and Berry Oakley, Jr. whose dad was the first bass player in the Allman Brothers band. Their seven-piece band included touring veterans who provided solid support to the dreams/inspirations that this trio has in mind. They paid homage to their fathers on several ABB tunes including Blue Sky and Midnight Rambler. Along with playing most of the tunes off of their first CD and these selected tunes, they also threw in a cover of the Grateful Dead’s, “Shakedown Street,” and Prince’s, “Purple Rain.”These boys appear to be the heirs to the southern rock banner that their dads held a long time ago. Their CD is worth taking a listen to and adding copy for your collection.

Lastly, honorable mention goes out to Melvin Seals and the JGB for their show at the cozy confines of the Pourhouse in Charleston. Melvin played keyboards in Jerry Garcia’s band from 1980 until Jerry’s death in 1995. Since 2004, he has fronted the JGB on organ and keyboards, keeping the spirit of Jerry’s solo career alive. On this tour he featured John Kadlicek (Dark Star Orchestra/Furthur, Golden Gate Wingmen) who is an unabashed lover of all things Grateful Dead. John would have made Jerry proud of his renditions of songs like, “Tough Mama,” “How Sweet It Is,” and, “Mystery Train,” among the songs he took the lead on. You don’t have to be a Deadhead to enjoy the music of the Jerry Garcia band …but it can’t hurt!

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