STEVE MILLER BAND LIVE AT HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPHITHEATER
By Scott Steinberg
I was lucky to see the Steve Miller Band live at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater with my wonderful wife Eva on Saturday night. Due to a ticket mixup we were late getting in and missed the majority of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Dave Mason who opened the evening. We were treated to the very end of “Feelin’ Alright”, the hit made famous by Traffic. Mason, who was a founding member of the band Traffic in the late 1960s, had the crowd warmed up and jovial by the time my wife and I found our way to our high priced seats. The only bad thing about this venue is the prices, $16 beers are absolutely ridiculous and the $75 in added fees on the price of a ticket is downright criminal! OK RANT OVER!
On with the show!
After a short intermission, the Steve Miller Band took the stage. They wasted no time getting the crowd into it, opening with three huge hits “Swingtown”, “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Jetliner”. Steve Miller commanded the ship while performing flawless vocals and breaking out the first of many guitar solos during “Fly Like an Eagle”. Miller‘s skills on the guitar are undeniable. I guess when you grow up watching guys like T-Bone Walker and Les Paul play inside your living room you tend to pick up some things. Les Paul was Steve Miller’s godfather and Walker was a close family friend.
Next up was “The Stake”, ‘Abracadabra’, and “Living in the U.S.A.”. Miller‘s vocal style is bluesy and, at 80, he doesn’t seem to have lost any spunk at all. He hits the same notes throughout his songs that he always did. His guitar playing is also smooth and on point. The years have been kind to Steve Miller and he has returned the goodwill by playing his music and entertaining audiences for decades. He is as comfortable on stage as most are in their own living rooms, his guitar playing is world class and he knows how to connect to a live audience. My wife and I were thoroughly enjoying the evening as the beginning chords of “Space Cowboy” filled the Amphitheater.
“Serenade” and “Wild Mountain Honey” were up next and there were two more exquisite guitar solos. They were followed by “Dance, Dance, Dance” and a real cool cover of Elmore James’ “Stranger Blues”. “Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma” featured awesome instrumentals by the whole band. “Jungle Love” and “Take The Money and Run” closed the set out in style.
The Amphitheater was in unison for more and we got it!
The encore was “The Joker” and “Rock’n Me” and I truly felt lucky to have seen the show. My wife and I contemplated bailing out after the ticket mixup but decided to power through and not let a few dollars waste our planned fun evening. After all, we were all powdered and fluffed for a great evening and that is exactly what we got in the end.
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Those ticket fees and drink charges are beyond outrageous, but sadly, they’re now the norm. Glad to hear that Steve Miller and Dave Mason still sound great at their ripe old ages!