Jeff Flowerday said:
How about differences between stoned/drunk Stevie and Sober Stevie? Anyone experience both?
I guess the first two times were his fueled performances. And the one with Beck was just before he was killed. I guess touring the "In Step" CD. That was by far the best of the three I saw. But unfortunately for him he had to follow Beck. I don't care who you are, legend or not, that is one position you don't want to be in. I remember a friend, who had never seen either guy and was a huge SRV fan, said to me as we were leaving," Jeff Beck must pat Stevie on the shoulder as he walks off stage and say""All the better you can sing Stevie""
Don't get me wrong here. I really like SRV. As I said before I think he was a huge, if not the main reason for blues having such a big comeback in the 80's and 90's. He made the masses aware of the blues again. the same way Clapton, Bloomfield et all did in the 60's. I really like all his CD's save the live one and even the worst of the three shows I saw was okay. In the context of his playing and singing in a song, he was great, but his non-stop riffing between songs just turned me right off. It's like you saw every one of his licks not in a song.
And although Stevies tone was almost unparalleled and as rich as you can get (I recently had his third CD Soul to Soul, on in my car and was diggin his sound immensely. KILLER).... the SRV clones and wanna be's out there on record and in almost every blues bar drive me nuts. If I don't hear a Strat through a black-faced Fender amp again I'm good. Unless it's him.