In
case you didn’t know, Blues Traveler is in the middle of celebrating their 30th
anniversary by embarking on a nationwide tour. On Friday, they gave a sold-out
crowd in Irving Plaza their money’s worth by delivering a night of pure fun.
Even
though the band goes back 30 years, they really hit their stride in the mid 90’s.
But if you only know them for 90’s hits like Run-Around and Hook, then you’re
missing out! On this night, they brought their diverse catalog of songs to an
audience that consisted of both young and older fans alike.
When
it was time for the band to play, they walked onto the stage as the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”
blared through the speakers. Once they got situated, frontman John Popper
greeted the NYC audience and then stated, "We are 30 f**king years
old!". After that, they wasted no time in jumping in to playing some tunes
for this excited crowd.
From start to
finish, the band rolled through hit after hit. As great as it is to hear their
songs in concert, the real highlights of the show were whenever they broke into
an impromptu jam session. In between songs, the bandmates would go back and
forth and just turn into a full blown jam extravaganza! You could see how they
just feed off each other’s energy during the show.
If you’ve
only heard radio or album versions of their music, then you really have to see them
live. This is one band that sounds amazing in concert.
After 30
years, these guys haven’t skipped a beat. Hopefully, they keep trucking along
and have many more tours to come!
