POP MUSIC REVIEW : Antone’s West Performances Show Every Shade of Blues in the Best Light

Anyone who thinks the blues has seen better days obviously wasn’t at the Antone’s West show Saturday night at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano that featured many blues greats who make Antone’s, an Austin, Tex., roadhouse, their home away from home.

With masters ranging from Albert Collins to Jimmy Rogers and Buddy Guy to James Cotton, this show--which returns to the Coach House tonight--proved that the blues is still vital and hanging out in Texas.

The notion behind the show, which was the dream child of Fabulous Thunderbirds leader Kim Wilson and club owner Clifford Antone, is to bring the magic of the club into cities across the West. But it also provides an opportunity for many of these artists to play together and off of each other.

And every shade of the blues was represented at the show, which ran nearly six hours.

James Cotton prowled the stage like a cat before succumbing to throat ailments.

Albert Collins went for the high-octane, gutbucket approach, especially on the slower “If Trouble Were Money.”Collins knows how to make his Telecaster talk, as he proved in dismissing one particularly noisy fan. More important, he knows how to make it echo the emotion in his voice.

There was also the highly seductive performance of Buddy Guy, who has a soft touch with the guitar and an even softer voice. But that didn’t mean the man can’t wail or make his guitar moan. The shifting dynamics--especially when taking on T-Bone Walker’s version of “Stormy Monday”--made Guy’s set easily one of the evening’s most enjoyable.

Guy also ran through his lexicon of blues guitarists, copping the riffs of Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Finally, he brought his set to an end with a moving rendition of Waters’ “She Moves Me” that featured some fine harmonica playing by Wilson.

Also a highlight was singer Angela Strehli’s set early in the evening. With a sass and no-holds-barred attitude, the blues rolls off her like water. There was a lights-out, meltdown rendition of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett’s 1970 hit “Soul Shake” and a scorching “Come Back Baby (I Wish You Would)” that was a cross between tribal jungle blues and “Who Do You Love?”

Along with all the great vocal performances, there were lots of inspired solos and jamming to some of the best bands going--bands that included organist Pine Top Perkins, guitarist Luther Tucker, guitarist and keyboard player Mel Brown, bassist Kevin Jones, Mark Kazanoff (as fine a sax player as there is) and guitarist Jericho Brown.

If there was a downside, it was the endurance-testing length of the show. But when the music’s as good as what was being played Saturday night, the adage about time flying when you’re having a good time holds true. And no one--except maybe Clifford Antone--knows quite where it went.