Photo Kevin T. Smallwood

Blues Traveler, Sunday, 9/28

Like a freight train with a John Popper whistle, Blues Traveler blew the crowd away at the annual Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, TX. Starting out with an instrumental, “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” and segueing into a “Want You > Run-Around” combo, the five-man blues band wasted no time getting the crowd to its feet.

Somewhere between a mind-bending rendition of “Mulling It Over” and a passionately played “NY Prophesie,” Popper evoked some nostalgia about playing in Texas – pulling the crowd into serenading him with the Lone Star State’s hand-clapping classic, “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

The show proved that Popper’s harmonica virtuosity has grown greater since Blues Traveler hit it big with the album Four, but the band’s catalogue has not. It was unfortunate to see the songs of Four have such prominence at the festival, when there is a brand-new album like North Hollywood Shootout to explore. 

Popper still has some incredible support in guitarist Chan Kinchla, drummer Brendan Hill, bassist Tad Kinchla and keyboardist Ben Wilson. Together, they have tightened the strings of Blues Traveler and re-established themselves as a blues-rock powerhouse by spending the past year (and most of next) touring from the Fillmore in San Francisco to the Late Show with David Letterman in New York. 

The Raconteurs, Sunday, 9/28

Coming off a successful second album, Jack White brought his troop of storytellers to Austin for an explosive and dark live set. Magnified by black and white LCD screens for their massive crowd, The Raconteurs ripped through their southern-rock catalogue dressed in black and white uniform. 

Plagued by a slipped-disc in his vertebra, Jack White was especially fiery on Sunday, spending time between sets to tell stories and discuss chiropractor visits. Though White stole the stage, the entire band turned in strong performances of both old and new songs. Adding some new arrangements to tunes such as “Top Yourself” and “Rich Kids Blues” illustrated the group’s comfort and ability to step out of the confines of their highly-structured albums and let their chops fly. 

As a live band, the Raconteurs did quite well to appease their fans. With tales of song histories such as “Many Shades of Black” and by playing fan favorites like “Steady As She Goes” (and absolutely blowing it out of the water) they were able to prove themselves as an entity outside of their studio triumphs. So far, the group has established a unique sound that has proven to be highly successful and their ACL Festival performance was an impressive testament to how the band can work within its mold and keep everyone on the edge of their seats. In many ways, The Raconteurs are the closest thing this generation will ever have to a “classic” rock band.

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