Photo by Bill Kelly

The timeless and ever-radiant Bonnie Raitt brought her Dig In Deep tour to the Rocky Mountains for a memorable concert in mid-September at the historic Macky Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado.

Anders Osborne opened with a dynamic solo performance that left the audience, and the headliner, impressed. Raitt later marveled at the big sound he produced by himself. Osborne brought out Raitt’s longtime bassist, James “Hutch” Hutchinson, for his final number.

Raitt instantly energized the crowd with her still-blazing red hair and sassy persona. With her folksy stage banter and easy audience rapport, Raitt has always had an endearing stage presence. An artist of extraordinary complexity, Raitt combines blues, folk, country, R&B, classic rock, soul and even gospel all within a two-hour set. And while she is an accomplished slide guitarist, it’s her strong and emotive voice that has garnered Raitt a devoted following.

As an industry veteran going back over 45 years, Raitt has achieved great commercial success and massive peer respect. Whether shining as a blues singer or in the rock spotlight, Raitt has also long utilized her status in aid of crucial causes by playing countless benefits and being a major and vocal supporter of everything from environmental concerns to co-founding The Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which aids the many blues and R&B artists who were ripped off throughout their careers.

At the resplendent 2,000-seat Macky – a venue nearly 100 years old – Raitt unleashed another infectious concert ripe with musical variety and unfettered emotion. She lamented both nearing the end of her year-plus world tour as well as the current state of our nation and the world at large. Opening with the groove-inflected “Unintended Consequence of Love,” Raitt was in fine form, peeling off her trademark sweet slide solos. She threw a mild curveball with the INXS hit, “Need You Tonight,” but her lusty re-arrangement of this stylized 80s dance-rock number fit her repertoire remarkably well, focusing on the funk elements. Another highlight was Mose Allison’s “Everyone’s Crying Mercy,” which expertly fit current events. A tender “Nobody’s Girl” and her own hit ballad, “Nick Of Time,” allowed Raitt to move to keyboards. Raitt then brought out the acoustic for Skip James’ classic, “Devil Got My Woman.” She noted that James was a “totally unique guy, like going to China for four minutes.”

“Something To Talk About” was a crowd-pleaser, as was another Raitt staple, John Prine’s, “Angel From Montgomery.” She played a somewhat different arrangement of the iconic folk song, extending the melody. Raitt then handed the stage over to keyboardist, Mike Finnegan, who enthralled with a brilliant take of the B.B. King number, “Don’t Answer The Door.” With growling vocals and passionate solos, he earned a well-deserved standing ovation. Raitt’s band, also featuring groove-master drummer Ricky Fataar and guitarist George Marinelli, gives her exactly what she needs.

Rufus’ “You Got the Love” into “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” closed the set, followed by a longer than expected encore. The ballad, “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” opened and Raitt then pulled out a haunting version of the poignant Richard Thompson song, “Dimming of the Day.” That was followed by The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “I Believe I’m In Love With You,” was another perfect cover.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Bonnie Raitt gave this adoring crowd all the musical elements they could want and, once again, proved herself a top-notch talent.