Words/Photos: Chris Rugowski
https://www.chickenortheeggphotography.com/
A small, mighty yet receptive crowd was found at Epic Event Center in Green Bay on Thursday October 5th for the Samantha Fish and Eric Johanson show, Love Letters tour. I wanted to point this out right away, the sound guys had their sound honed in perfectly for this show! This venue can sometimes get a little odd with sound, but this show was one of those where you could go without earplugs and it sounded spot on, all without being deaf at the end of the night. The crowd was full of all types of ages too, from young to old, moms and dads with their kids. I especially appreciated seeing the younger girls there with their mom watching a powerhouse of a singer and player do her thing. Female empowerment to the max for sure.
Eric Johanson
Starting the night off was Eric Johanson, a good blues rock Man from the southern swamps of New Orleans. This guy can sing, solo, and get to the point all in one fell swoop. I appreciated that there were no big effects, no big thrill, just straight rock and roll you could feel. With nine songs in the queue, the set started strong and ended with a standing ovation.
He had a few guitars and a dobro he went through and they all complemented the look and feel of his show. When he switched to dobro, he played a song as he said, “about the little voice in your head” from the new record released back in July “The Deep and The Dirty”. By the sixth song, the tempo picked up a bit with “Galaxy Girl”. I liked the tone of the guitar during this song. The bass line is great and very moving too. The solo was fun on this tune. But most of all, the guitar riff is an earworm.
At the seventh song, we bring the tempo back to a slow blues with “She is the Song”. With blue and white lighting to complement. He sings, “She’s a vision of a world unseen, like reflections on a movie screen, of a place I can only dream, of being home, being home….”. I found these relatable words. Overall, this was my favorite song of the set. Wow, what a powerful song. And the slower tempo gives it that feel that tugs at the heartstrings.
We hit “Don’t Hold Back” next, which is the first song on the new record. The overdrive on this tune is nothing short of “so sexy” to me. The tune reminds me of Voodoo Child to a degree, and it rocks! I didn’t want it to end. He broke a string during this song and after the song said, “Strings are made for breaking, which means it’s a good night.” I would have to agree.
SAMANTHA FISH
Here we are, at the main act of the night, Samantha Fish
My very first impression was simple, this girl can sing great, and play the hell out of whatever instrument she’s on. All while wearing high heels. I can’t even walk in them without falling over, and she’s moving around the stage like it’s no big deal – talent all around. Whether it’s a cigar box or a regular electric she’s talented. And, quite honestly, her firebird is…sexy. That’s all I have to say about the guitar. The guitar tone, *raises hands like an Italian saying it’s perfect*.
The band playing with her, man, what a great lineup. The bass tone was perfect for this room too. The drummer was animated all night, he didn’t just sit in the back and play either, and he didn’t miss a beat, which was super cool to see and hear.
The first song Samantha came out with the cigar box guitar, which was cool to see. In general, Samantha’s set had a few covers, but that’s OK, because it kept the audience singing along, and it was just fun to hear her renditions. She played the title track of the tour “Love Letters” and I like this tune, it was probably my favorite up to this point. The solo, the words, the band, it was really good.
We sped up for the next song, ironically called “Faster”, this song elicited a great crowd reaction. Up next was “Somebody’s Always Trying”, proving without a doubt she’s not afraid to use her voice. This song is fast and heavy. She got on the floor and started to play too during the solos. You could tell she was getting into the song, this was not just an act, she was sincerely enjoying her time playing.
Now we’ve moved to Samantha’s solo on acoustic for a couple of tunes. If you doubted her ability to play guitar and solo with just herself playing and make it sound good, you only need to see this to be proven wrong. At this point, she’s back to her electric and all I can think is “Man her skills in making robust solos are hard to express without saying it’s just awesome.” On “Dream Girl” we slowed down a bit, although it remains quite enjoyable. I like how this one builds up. Holy solos batman. She KILLED it on this one! She ended the set with “Bitch on the Run” by bringing Eric Johanson back up, and they both riffed off each other. It was beautiful, fun and exciting.
This show was worth staying up on a “school night” for! I can honestly say, the best show I’ve seen in a long while! If you ever get the chance to see her play live it’s worth the money and worth your time.
SAMANTHA FISH & JESSE DAYTON
OCTOBER 2023 UK TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
THE COMMONERS
TICKETS FOR ALL CONCERTS ARE AVAILABLE FROM
www.alttickets.com/samantha–
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
www.samanthafish.com/tour
www.jessedayton.com
Sunderland, The Fire Station
Thursday 19 October 2023
Glasgow, Barrowlands
Friday 20 October 2023
Manchester, Ritz
Saturday 21 October 2023
Bristol, SWX
Sunday 22 October 2023
York, Barbican
Tuesday 24 October 2023
Cambridge, Junction
Wednesday 25 October 2023
Bournemouth, O2 Academy
Thursday 26 October 2023
Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
Friday 27 October 2023
Birmingham, O2 Institute
Saturday 28 October 2023
London, 100 Club (Sold Out)
Monday 30 October 2023
About Author
