Just saw Jonny yesterday(5/26) at a free show downtown, and my impression is that when he's good, he's really good, but there were several moments which left me somewhat cold. It doesn't seem that he's reconciled his older sound with the new, as there was a big disparity between the two in his show. When he was playing the more hard edged material of his earlier work he still delivers the goods, such as the stellar cover of Tinsley Ellis' "A Quitter Never Wins". However, his newer material, while competently done lacks the intensity, and comes off rather flat in comparison. Lang is still an excellent guitarist but one who needs to find a way to bridge the two successfully, as there seems to be a conflict between the two. The band was extremely tight, but as a live show he pales in comparison to Joe or Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Playing for approximately an hour and forty minutes(including encore) he would build to a height but then lose the momentum.
If you're looking for the smoking blues that brought him to fame initially, it's still there, but be prepared for some moments which likely will leave you looking at your watch, at least until the next batch of hot guitar work. The best moments not surprisingly were from his first two albums, the aforementioned "A Quitter Never Wins," opening song "Wander This World" and closer "Lie To Me," as well as a hard funk version of Stevie Wonder's "Living For The City".
All in all, a decent show, albeit one which could use better pacing, and a set list which favors material where Lang, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, just "shuts up and plays his guitar".
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