Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 2, 2005 Ed Foss, left, and his daughter Stephanie Hudson were front row and center for the Steve Miller Band show Friday night at the new Lithia Motors Amphitheater. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli ROCK ’N’ ROLL Maiden concert by Steve Miller Band at Lithia Motors Amphitheater gets crowd on its feet By BILL VARBLE Mail Tribune The Steve Miller Band inaugurated the new Lithia Motors Amphitheater Friday night with a big helping of classic rock. And despite traffic worries and a large factor of the unknown, a full house turned out to rock the 5,900-capacity venue in its maiden show. Count it a smash. The show was measured — hey, it was Steve Miller — the crowd boogied, and the house pretty much drew raves. "We were wary," said Kristin Schwartz, of Jacksonville. "But we just sailed right in," said her husband, Mike. The space feels more intimate than you’d think. Behind the stage and the Bauhaus-flavored structure for lights and sound, Roxy Ann Butte humps up to the northeast and the Siskiyous loom to the south. The stage rises out of a pond, and breezes move off the water. As concert-goers started trickling in at 6 p.m., darting swallows hawked bugs, and a Jackson County sheriff’s boat patrolled the pond as if the venue were threatened by gate-crashing scuba divers. Advertisement "It’s beautiful," said Sue Maurer, of Medford. "The skyline is so nice." The show started a half-hour late at 8:30 after remarks by the Expo’s Chris Borovansky, Britt’s Ron McUne, major donor Sid DeBoer and others. Miller and company started with a workmanlike "Swingtown" in five-voice harmony, de-bump, de-bump,de-bump. The only glitch was a bit too much dirt in the bass, some distortion. "Living in the USA" followed, an oldie (1968) Miller dedicated to American servicemen and women. The sound cleared up. What kind of show would it be? Steve Miller has had almost as many lives as a cat. Well, a third as many. He brought a blues edge and sharp musicianship to the Bay Area in the psychedelic era. In the ’70s came a magic string of perfect radio songs: "The Joker," "Fly Like an Eagle," "Rock’n Me," "Take the Money and Run, "Livin’ in the USA," others. These days most crowds want to hear pop tunes from the "Greatest Hits" era, while hard-core fans are dyin’ for bluesy fare. Then there are newbies. "I don’t care what else he plays," said 10-year-old Peter Schwartz. "I want to hear ‘Fly Like and Eagle’ and ‘The Joker.’ " Not to worry. And if there were worries with the amphitheater, the only glitch that surfaced was the length of the lines for beer and wine. Maybe more windows would help? Some people said they waited 15 minutes in line. Steve Schubert, of Jacksonville, said he and his buddy waited maybe seven minutes. "It’s not too bad," he said. Miller turned in his first blistering Fender Strat solo on the hooky "Abracadabra," then turned up the funk for a driving "Mercury Blues." The latter was driven by Miller and mouthharpist-extraordinaire Norton Buffalo jamming together. After nearly four decades of rock, Miller looked trim and fit in jeans and a purple shirt, the full hair gray now. He paid tribute to his Texas roots with Freddie King’s "Tore Down," the evening’s first straight, raunchy, 12-bar blues. After all the pop songs, the tune heartened the blues fans. The band had a jazzy, theatrical turn at "I’m Gonna Move Baby Way on the Outskirts of Town," a tribute to Ray Charles that featured the sharp, bluesy keyboard of Joseph Wooten. Otis Rush’s "All Your Lovin’ " started in a Santana-like groove and segued over to the blues side. The opening of "Fly Like an Eagle" is unmistakable, and the lights and the crowd came up with it. It didn’t stretch as much as it sometimes does, and it was marred by going into an incongruous rap, delivered by Wooten, that sounded forced and schlocky. "Take the Money and Run" was upbeat and fun, "Keep on Rockin’ Me Baby" rocked. The band took the crowd home through "Jungle Love" and "Jet Airliner" and wound up big with, natch, an arch version of "The Joker." The show ended in a cluster of fireworks, the crowd demanding "Steve, Steve!" The band came back with an encore of "Wild Mountain Honey" before turning back to the blues with Buddy Guy and Junior Wells’ "Snatch it Back and Hold It" that was blues to the max. For a grand opening, you couldn’t ask for much more. Reach reporter Bill Varbleat 776-4478 or e-mail Rock �n� roll ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s