August 14, 2005
Thorogood pleases crowd thoroughly
Thousands of fans sing along, dance to veteran blues rocker's tunes.
By Mariella Savidge
Of The Morning Call
It was not a night to sit still. Or politely. Nor was it one for anybody with sensitive ears.
''I'm going to do everything in my power to get arrested tonight … if anybody's going to jail for rock 'n' roll, it might as well be me,'' George Thorogood told thousands of enthusiastic fans at Musikfest's RiverPlace on Friday night.
After the opening that included Bo Diddley's ''Who Do You Love,'' he also used that gravelly bad-boy voice to tell the audience he intended to do some ''dirty, nasty, some very bad things'' during the show, which was part of his 30th anniversary tour with the Destroyers.
Eh. It depends on your definition of bad, or as he told a reporter a couple of weeks ago, ''It's so bad, it's good. Y'know?''
His bluesy, roots rock style flowed as easily as the very nearby river, so that anybody who may have been even a borderline fan going in was hooked. Thorogood's ability to amuse and entertain was so powerful that it made up for that extra smidge of humidity provided by the aforementioned river that made the air and the bugs almost unbearable.
He was just fun to listen to and to move with, to which the many fans who filled the aisles could attest.
But even if they stayed in their seats, fans were quick to jump in and finish the words to a song and to roar at his efforts on the bottleneck guitar that, at times, made the instrument sound like a human voice.
It took but a note or two to spark audience recognition as ''I Drink Alone'' was followed by ''One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,'' after which — contrary to his carefully cultivated reckless image — he told the guys to let their wives drive home.
Not one to disappoint, Thorogood followed ''Get a Haircut and Get a Real Job'' with the song the fans were hungriest for.
''Don't rush me,'' he said, but shortly after rolled into the Chuck Berry-inspired ''Bad to the Bone,'' putting fans over the top as they watched him hop across the stage, knees bent.
Following ''Move It On Over'' he bared his teeth with a devilish, ''Pretty good, eh?'' before temporarily leaving the stage.
Two encores included ''That's It, I Quit'' and ''Madison Blues,'' ''Rockin' My Life Away'' and ''Greedy Man,'' before a curtain call when he said good night and blew a kiss.
Aw, he's not so bad.
mariella.savidge@mcall.com