Stevie “Guitar” Miller came home to his roots in southeastern Wisconsin last night with a two-hour romp through his classic hits at the Washington County Fair.
Stevie is a masterful blues guitarist who also happens to have a penchant for writing the catchy pop-rock hits that play a significant role in the soundtrack of my life.
Miller holds a special place in my heart. He’s a local boy made good, and I distinctly remember when he hit it big after releasing my Desert Island Disc, Fly Like an Eagle. Fortunately, he still serves up a significant serving of that album in his shows.
We were on our feet dancing from the git-go as he opened with “Swingtown,” “Abracadabra” and one of the all-time great rockers, “Serenade.”
The extended jam on “Fly Like an Eagle” was as fresh as the first time I saw him play it more than thirty years ago. The addition of soul singer Sonny Charles (from the 60’s group Checkmates Ltd.) to the band last year adds a powerfully fresh dimension, particularly on their ode to Bo Diddley, “Pretty Thing.”
A playful frolic through the foot-stompin’ “Dance, Dance, Dance” led into a blazing run that closed the set with “Take the Money and Run,” “Jungle Love” and “Rock’N Me.”
After a two-minute intermission, we were treated to not so much an encore as an entire second set. I’ve always loved Steve Miller’s engaging manner on stage. This cat clearly enjoys himself. Coming back out with a double neck guitar, Miller delivered a soulfully stirring “Winter Time” and Jimmy Vaughn’s “Hey Yeah,” before playfully asking for requests, knowing full well what the majority of us wanted to hear.
From there it was vintage Steve Miller. “Space Cowboy,” “Livin’ in the USA,” “Wild Mountain Honey” and a reprise of “The Joker” had us enthusiastically singing along, before a fiery “Jet Airliner” sent us home smiling.
And the rock & roll gods are smiling upon us once again.
