Steve Lacy New York Concert reviews
Joe was great, the show, not quite
I really liked this show, my rating would be 4.5 stars, but didn't love it. The most amazing guitarist I've ever seen was Steve. The setlist was all hard-driving, high-energy stuff, exactly what most of his fans want, but it got tiring for me, I kinda got numb to it. I didn't have the impact that they did earlier in the show, when every song has a blazing, screaming guitar solo. After a while, they just didn't have a few songs like "Drive", "Different Shades of Blue", "Lonesome Whistle Blues", "I'll Play the Blues For You", "Cadillac Assembly Line" (the latter 3 from "Live at the Greek Theater") would all have been excellent songs to change the pace with.
The sound was disappointing. I play them on a home theater system capable of presenting everything they have to offer. The sound could have been better than it was. It was so loud it almost hurt, and with my ears on overload, I couldn't distinguish details in the music. The bass reminded me of a car playing urban hip-hop with the subwoofer turned all the way up - BOOM, BOOM, BOOM - with none of the notes or even the overall bass line distinguishable. The backup vocals were drowned out most of the time, and overall, the sound was pretty much dominated by the guitar. Less volume and a better mix that brought the vocals and keys forward a bit would have been much more enjoyable.
I don't think he featured the other artists as much as he could have. At this show, I only remember 1 solo from Lee, 2 from Paulie, only a couple of short-lived moments in the spotlight for the vocalists, and a lot of time in the spotlight for Reese. That's to be expected, but the others could have gotten more too, based on what I've seen from his Blu-Ray releases. "Live at the Greek Theater", for example, has multiple solos from the saxes, rhythm guitar, and keys, and the backup vocals are featured prominently in several songs.
If I had to sum up the show in one word, it would be "one-dimensional". Loud, hard-driving, high-intensity guitar from start to finish, with not enough softer material or featuring of the other artists to give it some variety. I did really like the show and would recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for truly masterful musicianship - from all the musicians. But given the ticket prices he charges (rightfully so), I'm not sure I would pay to see him again. There's a lot to be said for the energy and atmosphere of the live experience, but for an audiophile like me, watching his shows in my home theater is actually more enjoyable.