Robert Gordon with Chris SpeddingCadillac Lounge2007-01-13

OK, lets get the 2007 concert season underway. And what better way to start than by reprising the best concert of 2006.

FTR, Top 5 Most Enjoyable Sets of 2006 were...
Robert Gordon/Chris Spedding X2 Cadillac Lounge in August
Raconteurs Cleveland OH in August
Nine Inch Nails London ON in March
Buck 65 V Fest Toronto in September and
Junior Brown Ottawa Blues Fest in July

I expect to see all but Junior Brown again this year. Junior will have to cross the border again 'cause we're on a travel sabbatical while we refurbish the house.
Only exception will be if we need to travel for Leonard Cohen.

Robert Gordon is doing a few shows on this side of the ocean in the company of Chris Spedding before crossing the waves to do a more extensive tour in Europe backed by "Red Hot", a Gordon covers band of sorts. That will be the 30th Anniversary of his 15 minutes of fame following the release of Rockabilly Boogie. The promise for that tour is all the hits plus a few from the new album. This show, at the Caddy, was promoted as the CD Release Party. Actually, mispromoted, but it's no big deal. Robert took the time out to mention that Sam, the owner of the Cadillac Lounge, jumped the gun a bit. The new CD will be released in July or August. It's finished recording and Robert was backed by the Jordonaires. Should be fun when it comes out.

Cece and I get to the Caddy early, 'cause I'm never late. Apparently Gordon and Spedding were a little late arriving from Detroit as the soundcheck was just wrapping up at 7:30 pm. We only heard the one song so I had no time to set up to tape. Just as well, the only other people in the bar were with the artists. It was a perfect opportunity to stop in and say hello to the artists...except for the mics attached to the lapels of my shirt. As it is we just eavesdrop on the most mundane of conversations as the two stars try to figure out if they should eat before or after their set. Robert looks hungry. Chris looks tired. The hotel wins out.

We're told the show starts at 9:00 pm SHARP. What we're not told is that The Royal Crowns are opening. They were pleasant enough, in a Stray Cats rockabilly kind of way. As their set was wrapping up I figured I'd head out to the car from some pre-show herb and to get my rig all attached. Stepping out onto Queen St West I check for cars as I rummage in my fanny pack, extracting the pre-amp and plugging the mics in just as I reach the opposite curb and lift my head just in time to dodge around Robert Gordon. He was standing outside the Rolling Stones bar across from the Caddy, having a smoke. Though to invite him to the car for a treat...but not for long. He made his way back into the bar as I got prepped.

At 10:45...not so sharp, Chris and Robert take the stage. We get pretty well the same set we had those two nights in August, with maybe two variations. Spedding's guitar work is more aggressive and Gordon is in good voice. Another prime performance.

Here's a link to the August reviews with a song-by-song breakdown, rather than cover similar ground here .

The crowd up close to the stage was great tonight...very attentive and appreciative. In the post-show scrum I was able to make a trade with a Finnish photographer; her photo's for an audio copy of the show. She's doing some scouting for the upcoming Euro tour and had an opportunity to snap a ton of pics.

There's a torrent of this show running at Dime