Blues rollers Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears laid down a rockin’ set at the Yeti Stage on Sunday afternoon, and it was a fine segue into the evening’s shows.The band was a little less manic than when I last saw them at the Soul’d Out Music Festival, but they made up for it with a deliciously cooked performance this time around.
Lewis was especially 'on' with his guitar, strumming straight-up rock ‘n’ roll during their opener “Stop Breakin’ Down,” and then doing much of the same for “Livin’ in the Jungle.” He also seemed to be feeling particularly mischievous – maybe he was recovering from a wild festival night, or had already indulged in a few too many of free beers. At one point when he introduced “Black Snake,” the rest of the band returned with a “What? No!” Lewis just shook his head and grinned, muttering, “Sorry – I already said it.”
Each member of the 5-piece backup band proceeded to shine throughout the show. The brass trio even had a great routine going where they’d swing their instruments in a choreographed pattern, and back it up with especially fierce blasts. It was great watching them do this during “Booty City,” a song I swear sounds just like one of the blues numbers from Adventures In Babysitting. Their moves made it feel even more like a track from the film.
Toward the end of the set, around the time BJLATH played a smokin’ “Sugarfoot,” the crowd decided to start throwing toilet paper at the stage. At first, the band thought it was hilarious and Lewis even wrapped some around his neck. After about the tenth stage assault, they went to war. A few of them just punted rolls back at the audience, but others gave their fans the bird before they thrust the tp back at them.
The show wrapped up with a loud and sped-up cover of “Louie Louie,” and a quick run at “Bird Is The Word.” It was a proper sendoff to yet another of this band’s fantastic shows.
