Had a great time with
Foster Campbell and Friends opening for Elvin Bishop and B.B. King at the
Majestic Fox Theater, November 26, 2011. For us, this event was the highlight of 2011. Thank you friends & neighbors for your encouragement and support.
The gig was
awesorific.
FCnF connected with the audience and received a very enthusiastic response.
Load In:
Danny Lipco & the Fox treated us well, gracious hospitality & steaks for dinner. (But, the Heinekens were, of course, for Mr. King.) I got chance to chat with some of Elvin's band
members including Trombonist, Eddy Earley, & Guitarist, Bob Welsh as well as Mr. King's drummer, Tony Collette. But, we weren't able to meet w/Elvin or Mr. King themselves. We set up and had time for a
line check. The opening act always get the lowest priority when sound check time comes around, but we were treated like headliners by the venue and sound crew.
Showtime:
Pac West provided us that professional,
Big League, sound befitting a juggernaut band like ours. Our
goal was to ably represent Bakersfield on a stage preceding high caliber artists like Roadhouse Warrior,
Elvin Bishop, and Blues Legend,
B.B. King. The set ran like clockwork. Tanner Byrom (drums) and Brett Seaton (bass) kept the pulse in check while Dave Sands (bari) anchored
The Double Stuff Horns. My band mates nailed all our marks. Geri Campbell sweetened the mix with her
tasty vocals. Foster delivered the blue-eyed soul captaining our band into to
Hi-Octane mode. Kudos to
Chuck Seaton,
Chris Neufeld, Dennis Wilson and John (Jam Master) Hollins for their stellar solos.
Fan footage of the end of our set during the B.B. King/Elvin Bishop Concert.
It felt like the audience was pulling for us to do well and THAT gave us the energy to succeed. Thank you Bakersfield!
After our set,
The Lovely Diane and I got a chance to "chillax," just sit back and enjoy the rest of the concert, as if we were on a date.
Elvin Bishop Rocks:
Elvin and his band have honed their skills to a
World Class level.
Elvin Bishop’s sextet brought an impressive mix of blues, wit, energy, humor and chops.
Elvin Bishop takes it to the Bakersfield audience.
One of the highlights of the set came when Elvin walked out into the audience. He was generous throughout the course of the set giving his musicians ample time in the spotlight. This set was well worth the price of admission on it’s own.
B.B. King Rules:
The set started out featuring his band,
a well oiled Blues Machine indeed. The King of the Blues entered the stage to a raucous ovation. B.B. King shared a few tales and delighted the crowd with his subtle blues lines. All in all it was a great experience.
“Props”:
Thank you to Dennis Mulelady and Foster Campbell for getting us this gig. Thank you to Danny Lipco and the
Bakersfield Fox Theater for including us on the roster and for all their hospitality. Thank you to the
Pac West sound & stage team Bruce Milburn, Al, Power, Loren, Jason and the rest of the crew for all their expertise and hard work. Looking forward to the next event.
For more info on FCnF go to:
http://www.fostercampbellandfriends.net or
http://facebook.com/FCnFBand
Foster Campbell and Friends: Fox Theater Line-up
Leader/Guitar/Lead Vocals:
Foster Campbell
The Tasty Vocals: Geri Campbell
The Seaton Sound Machine:
Lead Guitar & Solo:
Chuck Seaton
Bass: Brett Seaton
Keyboards/Lead Vocals:
Chris Neufeld
Drums: Tanner Byrom
The Double Stuff Horns:
Trumpet: John Hollins
Alto/Tenor Sax: Dennis Wilson
Tenor Sax/Horn Arr: Mac McClanahan (Lead vocal on
Them Changes)
Bari Sax: Dave Sands
Stage Sound:
Pacific West Sound
Foster Campbell and Friends in Hi-Octane Mode:
Thanks for listening.
Mac—>
June kicks off with a return to my Jazz Fusion roots with the 
