Concert #757 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (October 9, 2015)

Last night, it took me eighty minutes of driving to reach McCabe's. This gave me plenty of time to question my sanity, with thoughts such as "why in the world do you need to see someone for the fourth time, especially since you don't often listen to his music". It's true - while I hold Ray Wylie Hubbard in high respect - I don't find his recorded music compelling enough to make we want to hear it time and time again. Somewhat surprisingly, though, ten minutes into the show, I was congratulating myself for having decided to be there.

Unlike in his previous appearances at McCabe's, Ray performed his entire show without sitting down.  Now that's a minor detail that has little to do with his music, one might say, but to me, this made a universe of difference. Indeed, I had never seen him as youthful and as energetic as he appeared to be last night. Ray's voice was strong and expressive, while his guitar playing made much more of an impact on me than anytime before. I also loved his sense of humor - I found myself laughing out loud multiple times during the concert. Ray knows he's special and maybe that is why he described himself as an "acquired taste that's not for everyone".

Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's

Accompanied by drummer Kyle Schneider, Ray played for us self-penned songs culled from various stages of his career, including his current album, "The Ruffian's Misfortune", plus a couple of covers.

Set List

Rabbit

Snake Farm

Mother Blues

Up Again The Wall, Redneck Mother

Mr. Musselwhite's Blues

Name Droppin'

Train Yard

Drunken Poet's Dream

Down Home Country Blues

Count My Blessings

Stone Blind Horses

Cooler 'n Hell

The Messenger

Crazy Mama (J.J. Cale's song)

Wanna Rock & Roll

John The Revelator

Barefoot In Heaven

You Gotta Move (encore) (Mississippi Fred McDowell's song)

Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's

Ray's show had many highlights, among them "Mother Blues" and the rousing extended medley that consisted of "Wanna Rock & Roll", "John The Revelator" and "Barefoot In Heaven". The sell-out crowd responded with a well-deserved standing ovation. For his one-song encore, Ray brought out an unidentified singer with whom he delivered Mississippi Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move", which, not unexpectedly, got the crowd standing up yet again.

Special kudos go to Kyle Schneider, whose tasteful drum-playing contributed a lot to the success of the evening.

Ray Wylie Hubbard (with unidentified help) at McCabe's

Kyle Schneider at McCabe's

In summary, I had a fabulous time last night at McCabe's and I'm pretty sure that Ray's path and mine will intersect again sometime in the future.

The merch table

The stage

 

Concert #622 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 29, 2012)

I do occasionally listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard's music, but I can't say that he's on my power rotation - I like his albums, but one good listen is enough for a while. His live shows, on the other hand, are a different story altogether and it's much more than just the promise of getting to see some unannounced high-caliber  guests, as was the case a few years back with Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes. 

This was my third time to see Ray in concert and let me start by saying that there were no famous guests this time around. Yet the concert was so good that it made me seriously contemplate staying for the late show as well, which I ended up not doing.

Ray came out with drummer and percussionist Rick Richards, bassist George Reiff and a young guitarist who turned out to be Ray's son, Lucas. The latter surprised me very much. The sounds of his electric guitar dominated the evening, a welcome departure from the exclusively acoustic character of Ray's earlier shows at McCabe's. Although only eighteen, young Lucas can play. I liked his bluesy sound, but he can rock and can play classic country as well.

Lucas Hubbard

Ray's sense of humor and the way he delivers his stories are an integral part of the "Ray Wylie Hubbard Package" - my friend Steve put it best: "I could sit here and listen to his stories for hours". But the main attraction was Ray's music, a good mix of old and new material, all sung with his unmistakable voice that's still going strong.

(VERY) PARTIAL SET LIST

Mother Blues

Namedropping

Without Love

The Messenger

Snake Farm

You Got To Move (encore)

Drunken Poet's Dream (co-written with Hayes Carll)

Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother

Canadian up-and-comer Brandy Zdan sat in to sing backup vocals for just one song, so I could not form an opinion. She looked great, though.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous evening with a true treasure of the American music scene. I will definitely catch him again.

Ray Wylie Hubbard, with son Lucas (January 29, 2012)

Ray Wylie Hubbard, with son Lucas (January 29, 2012)

Rick Richards and George Reiff

Chatting with fans after the early show

Ray Wylie Hubbard after the early show

The stage before the show

Concerts #429, 475 - Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's Guitar Shop (January 13, 2007 - August 1, 2008)

My brother occasionally shows up in California and every time he does, my first thought is to take him to a great concert, the kind he doesn't have access to where he lives. Trouble is he usually comes for only a day or two, which leaves me with few options when it comes to finding the ideal concert. In January 2007, my only option was Ray Wylie Hubbard at McCabe's, and as it turned out, it was a good option.

We went to the show rather unprepared - I knew only a small handful of Ray's song, my brother knew none - but Ray is the kind of performer who will grab you from the very first song and keep you hooked until the lights go back on. Mixing great songs with fun stories and accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar, Ray made us laugh and kept our toes tapping non-stop.

"Snake Farm" and "Polecat" are the songs that I still remember almost five years after the concert. 

For his encore, Ray brought out Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes fame. He sat in for just one song. As we were sitting in the front row, I could have almost touched Chris, it was a thrill.

Chris Robinson

In August 2008 I went back to McCabe's to hear Ray for a second time, hoping to once again luck out with a famous unannounced guest. As it turned out, it was yet another case of unfulfilled expectations - not only there was no Chris Robinson, but Ray played the whole show without anyone guesting. Overall, this second helping had less of an impact on me.

Both shows were opened by I See Hawks In LA, a local alt-country band that left me rather unimpressed on both occasions.