Ray Benson: Asleep at the Wheel frontman kept western swing alive during the band’s Aug. 21 performance at Chevrolet Court. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO
The common thread is the lively, persistent beat laid down by longtime drummer David Sanger and stand-up bass player David Miller and polished by the soaring talents of the lead musicians. The spotlight often falls on fiddler Jason Roberts,
whose talent is so impressive that he was chosen to portray the revered
Wills in a biographical stage show currently in production. To fans who
have listened to Wills, Robert’s channeling of his talent while
covering the master’s hits was a tribute that was uncannily true to
life.
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Benson, playing a wooden electric guitar
with a Texas-shaped inlay, sporting a white goatee and wearing a big
cowboy hat, was as comfortable on stage as anyone you’ll see. After 38
years of steering the Wheel, he should be. Aside from his virtuosity on
his instrument and his rich baritone vocals, his main job has been
making certain that the band’s talent is first-rate and up to the task
of keeping alive the flame of ignited by the pioneers of western swing.
The current cast shines at every turn, as piano player John Whitby did on “Goodbye Liza Jane” and the honky-tonk gem “Route 66,” setting up a star turn by steel player Eddie Rivers on Wills’ classic “Faded Love.”
The band’s lone female member, Elizabeth McQueen,
was plenty spunky, laying into the vocal lead on the happy “I Don’t
Care If The Sun Don’t Shine” and the sassy and spicy “Bump Bounce
Boogie.” The latter number provides a perfect example of how Benson
writes songs that sound like they were born in the 1940s and the band
bring them to life with the same passion.
The only dead spot of the day was when
the Wheel veered off course to cover a couple of Willie Nelson songs,
no doubt in deference to their pending release of a CD with him. They
easily recovered when they got back to the swinging and capped each
show with a reckless and wild version of “Hot Rod Lincoln.”
With the audience at the evening show
standing for the last few numbers, the ever-gracious Benson rewarded
their enthusiasm by bringing his team back on for a lengthy encore that
led Rivers to get out his saxophone for “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie,” before
they closed with a gorgeous rendition of “Happy Trails,” bidding fans
new and old farewell “til we meet again.” It was a fitting number for a
band that keeps the western in country and western and does it with
style and spirit.
—Kevin Corbett
