By the time the show started, the crowd had grown to the point where the venue may have been one-third full. From what I could gather from nearby conversations it was obvious there hadn’t been a great deal of publicity about the show.
Which was a pity, because from the time that Mr Manx hit the stage it was obvious we had a class act on stage. From the opening number, featuring the mohan veena, with frequent changes of instrument, we were treated to a distinctive Indian-inflected take on the blues with plenty of extremely tasty slide playing from a master player.
Given my lack of familiarity with Harry’s repertoire I can’t provide a set-list, but highlights included the mohan veena tracks that opened both halves, Long Black Veil, Good Time Charley’s Got The Blues, Working on the Railroad, the Muddy Waters track I Can’t Be Satisfied and a version of Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile featuring banjo and thumb piano accompaniment from percussionist Yeshe, who provided subtle brushstroke punctuation throughout the show.
After the show we hung around to buy a couple of CDs and have them signed before the forty-five minute drive to Bowen.
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at these things) I hadn’t been to the bank before we left, so I had to limit myself to Dog My Cat and West Eats Meet rather than indulging myself with a copy of everything on offer.
Having given both disks a couple of spins over the past week. I’m more than satisfied and I’ll be checking out the on-line options when the on-line purchases credit card has recovered from the most recent hit.
Over the past couple of years I’ve been lucky enough to catch a number of great guitarists in concert - Jeff Lang and Bob Brozman here in Bowen, Richard Thompson, Eric Clapton and Derek Trucks in Brisbane and now Harry Manx in Proserpine.
No kidding, the guy’s in the same league, at least as far as I’m concerned.
Wandering into the lobby during the mid-show intermission, I ran across Dingo Beach Steve, who was somewhat surprised to see someone from Bowen in the area since the show was a well-kept secret even in Proserpine.
Standing in the lobby before the show I’d heard the guy who was looking after the forty-six date tour explain that, really, he would have preferred to have been playing Townsville on the Friday or Saturday night after a show in Mackay on the Wednesday, but that it just hadn’t worked out, so it was off to Cairns on Saturday before heading back to Townsville on Sunday.
So what’ll he do if the same situation arises in the future?
Somehow I have a nasty feeling that Proserpine won’t be on the tour itinerary.