Seven Clans Casino - Thief River Falls, MN - Aug. 25

The event was called the "Last Ride Blues Fest". Held on the 24th and 25th in the parking lot of the 7 Clans Casino near Thief River Falls, MN. I think this was the second annual. Having never been to this event or finding much info beforehand I didn't know quite what to expect. Joe was a last-minute replacement for Jonny Lang who canceled out. They also added Indigenous to the bill as a sort of co-headliner, but Joe was the final act on Saturday. The line-up that night also included the Blues Caravan with the Blues guitar women Sue Foley, Deborah Coleman and Roxanne Potvin, and a local band Little Bobby and The Storm. Besides the fact that Joe was there the best thing about the evening was that it was free! It was, however, a little disorganized. Except for Joe and Co. who, because they were headlining, were basically set up and ready to go when their time came, it took a long time between acts to change the stage so Joe started about 45 min. later than scheduled and had an 11:00 p.m. curfew he was up against. So he wasn't able to get the full set he wanted in. The set he did play was:

Bridge To Better Days
Walk In My Shadows
So Many Roads
Mountain Time
Another Kind Of Love
Sloe Gin
Just Got Paid
encore
High Water Everywhere

The three songs on the printed set list he didn't get to were:

Woke Up Dreaming
Django
Asking Around For You

It was my first time seeing the new lineup, although I had seen one of the shows early this year that Rick was part of (Kansas City - thanks Rick for remembering!). The keyboards really add a new dimension to the show and Rick's presence is more noticeable than back in January.

Me and my girlfriend Renee got to the casino early enough to get some quality time with Joe. Thanks Joe! He mentioned that most of his main gear is still hung up in customs over in Europe so they were using mostly backup gear, including guitars. He brought us over to his guitar rack and showed us a very special guitar. Joe, please correct me if I'm wrong, but  I thought he said it was the first Gigliotti ever made. It was a plain white - no fancy paint job anywhere - GT style (like Joe's GT prototype model that was misplaced and now back where it belongs) with no name on the headstock either. Totally "vanilla" except for the sound. Joe played "Mountain Time" with that guitar and it was as beautiful as ever! Always a highlight.

Another highlight was "High Water Everywhere". The live arrangement is amazing! Joe on acoustic, with the rest of the band accompanying. Really soulful and a little bit funky. It made a great encore, I thought. Always great to hear new stuff and "Another Kind Of Love" and "Sloe Gin" are fantastic live. Can't wait to hear more.

Joe's voice sounded great throughout and you would have never known that he was using backup gear. And the band is awesome! Really cohesive and they look they're having a blast!

I wish the crowd would have been bigger, but this is not exactly the most populous area, even in Minnesota. And, of course, I wish the guys would have had time for a full set, but I really don't think anybody there thought they were slighted. I know I didn't. And hey, you can't complain about the price!

Photos as well. I'll get some online as soon as possible.