Seeing Wishbone Ash is always fun. The band always puts on a great show, and delivers a very specific feel. This time it was the curiosity of seeing two new recently added members. Not only that, the group played in a newly renovated and re-opened Des Plaines Theatre. This also happens to be in the current hometown of this writer, so there was a level of expectations. Needless to say, both passed with flying colors, and this was a great evening of rock music.
Wishbone Ash took the stage and opened with Bona
Fide, then flew into Enigma, before moving Way Down South. The band seemed extremely well rehearsed, and
the music was flowing out of them. Andy
Powell and the crew were having fun.
With each song the band was getting better and so was the enthusiasm
coming from the audience. The sound was
perfect, the place has amazing acoustics, and there were some great lights
adding magic to already solid performance.
The group ended their first set with We Stand as One off their latest
Coat of Arms album, and if you haven’t heard this record yet, make sure you
do. It’s another silent classic.
Guitarist, Mark Abrahams, is a great addition
into the ranks of Wishbone Ash. Abrahams
joined the band in 2017, and so far, he only appeared on the above mention
album. He is a great fit, and his style
is complementary to Andy Powell and the sound of Wishbone Ash. At first, he appears to play in a very
minimalistic way, but the more you watch him you realize that his contributions
are enormous. Abrahams is not any better
than all the previous players who once occupied this place. He is as good as all other guitar players. He’s a different, has a style of his own, and
will do great things for Wishbone Ash in years to come. Abrahams is a great player who is fun to
watch, and it’s obvious he is clearly enjoying himself on stage.
The newest addition to Wishbone Ash is drummer,
Mike Truscott, who joined the band very recently. This is his first tour with Wishbone Ash, and
he’s doing a great job providing solid beat and making the rhythms flow. Nothing over the top, just solid drumming,
and making sure the team as a whole is once again a flawless unit.
The band is rounded of by bassist, Bob Skeat. Skeat is a very inventive player with some
unpredictable bass lines of his own. The
main player is of course, Andy Powell, who kept Wishbone Ash going for 53
years. Powell has a one-of-a-kind
charisma on stage, and his guitar skills is what gives Wishbone Ash that
cutting edge. Dependable frontman, and
amazing writer who keeps on releasing great records.
After the first set, Wishbone Ash took a break,
and returned with a special surprise.
The group performed their essential album, Argus, in its entirety. Argus is celebrating 50 years, so it was very
fitting for the band to revisit this gem.
The tracks from Argus often grace many of the Wishbone Ash shows, in
fact the band can’t get away without playing tracks like The King Will Come,
Blowin’ Free, Sometime World, or Warrior.
It was still a treat to hear all of the tracks in one set. The delivery was superb, and it left the
crowd asking for more. Argus is the
album that established Wishbone Ash on the international stage, but there are
many other great albums the group recorded over the years that shouldn’t go
unnoticed. The deeper you dig the more
treasure you find. For this writer, No
Smoke Without Fire is such record, and perhaps the opening window into the
world of Wishbone Ash.
This was an evening of great music. Wishbone Ash brought a lot of joy for this
rock hungry Des Plaines crowd. Especially,
after the recent limitations due to the pandemic. Wishbone Ash till has what it takes to make
the ground shake. It was another great
and uncompromising evening of music with a band that wrote its own history into
the rock music. Show your support when
they come to your town!
Mark Kadzielawa
Wishbone Ash performing Warrior at the Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines on 3/3/22
No comments:
Post a Comment