LIVE: BETH HART – April 27, 2022

Venue: Duke Energy Center for the Arts / Mahaffey Theater

City: St Petersburg, FL

Dates: April 27, 2022

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Occasionally a tour or show is announced, and I get almost giddy anticipating attending the show.  Toss in the opportunity to photograph the show and forget about it.  A late April appearance by Beth Hart at Mahaffey Theater in St Petersburg was one such show, and I couldn’t wait for the show – a personal bucket list concert and live shoot for sure.  Kicking the evening off was an opening set from John Oates and Guthrie Trapp – just two guys, two guitars, two mics, and a ton of music to pull from demonstrating their influences, their history, and overall love of music.  The duo launched into a set that included many songs that shaped them as songwriters, musicians, and performers.  Tossing in a bit of banter, some classics, and some deep cuts, Oates and Trapp aimed to please and based on the crowd’s reaction, they succeeded.  As time passed, the buzz and anticipation in the sold-out venue grew until the announcement was made over the sound system the show would begin in five minutes, then it seemed to grow exponentially with each minute.  Without fanfare, Beth Hart’s touring band took their places and soon you could hear Beth’s vocals on “You Belong To Me” cascade from the speakers and across the crowd.  Within moments, it becomes apparent to everyone in Mahaffey that Hart is doing the unconventional and entering the stage from the back of the venue.  As she made her way to the stage working up the stage left aisle and across the front as she readied herself for the set and soon took her place center stage. With an already massive catalog at her disposal for the evening and tour, Hart released A Tribute To Led Zeppelin just two months ago and would take the opportunity to play a couple of the tracks from that disc as well as other fan favorites, a couple deeper cuts, and another cover or two throughout the set.  Hart looked great and sounded even better – the downtime from touring over the last couple of years didn’t seem to faze her performance.  Before she made it through a third song, Beth got comfortable, peeled off her heels casting them aside, and we all got comfortable and enjoyed the rocking blues delivered by the chanteuse. Hart’s real skill on stage is conveying the same emotional delivery live from behind a mic or piano that she conveys when recording… her live performance is vastly superior to anything recorded (which I happen to have loved from the first time I heard Screaming For My Supper and the succeeding tour).  There were powerful moments that had nothing to do with the music and more with the vulnerability Hart allowed herself to show and share with crowd, as when she spoke of her sister while introducing one of my personal favorites “Sister Heroine” or a tender moment between Beth and her husband after the song “I Need A Hero.”  While some of my favorites from her early catalog didn’t make it into the set, there were others that sounded better tonight than any other time I have heard them, including “Bang Bang Boom Boom” and “Sugar Shack.”  Closing the evening in a way only Hart could pull off, she sent us into the evening with smiles on our faces, a song on our lips, with a cover of Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind.”  There are so many facets to a Beth Hart show and even more emotions that rise to the surface… love, pain, loss, elation, lust, sadness… but most importantly, the songs, the stories, and the soul baring delivery make you feel, just as music should. I cannot wait for the anticipation after hearing about the next Beth Hart show, tour, or album as I want that emotional musical fix.

Beth Hart Touring Band: Jon Nichols (guitar) – Tom Lilly (bass) – Bill Ransom (drums)

[Show as slideshow]

FULL SET OF BETH HART PHOTOS HERE

BETH HART LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

TOUR DATES

Tags: featured

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries