Fan Stories
submitted by Tony "Sluggo"
Healeys, Toronto ON 4/8/06
The limo picked up nine of us (and a few coolers)
in Oshawa Saturday afternoon and we took off down
the 401 to Toronto and Healey`s club where we were
going to see Lousianna slide wizard Sonny
Landreth...it had been five years to the day since
I saw him last at Mid city lanes Rock`n`Bowl New
Orleans and I had a picture from that night that
I wanted to get signed as well..
We hit healey`s and staked out our tables well
ahead of the crowd waiting in the lineup to buy
SRO tickets, but that didn`t really matter as
(and this is my one and only beef) they let so
many more people in they all stood in front of the
tables and you had to keep moving all night for a
good view..Wasn`t a whole heck of a great idea to
buy tickets as far ahead as we did, seems folks
just planted themselves wherever they damn well
wanted and no one made anyone move all night..
Regardless..Sonny and the boys took the stage
about 11 or shortly thereafter and he hit the deck
a runnin` with so many great tunes...south of
I-10, Native Stepson, Bayou Teche, Levee Town
U.S.S. Zydecoldsmobile, a few instrumentals..and
the one I had wanted to hear all these five
years..Congo Square..Sonny`s heartfelt pean to
the origins of native music from the square where
slaves were bought sold and traded and tribes
held their fests, fires and feasts on saturday
evenings...
When Sonny and the band get going ..close your
eyes and smell salt air..heavily scented perfumed
flowers and musty swamps, giant sprawling trees
laden with spanish moss..gator eyes glowing red
and the smell of tabasco and spilt beer..Sonny
does not only just play music from the south he
brings the atmosphere with him and pours it out
like a fine gulping wine onto your plate....
I have to thank Mark Neveu for making this a
reality..bringing to Toronto one of the finest
guitar players around these days with a style
beholden to no one..what a night..what a magical
evening of sound and cajun mystery...
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