Sep 26 2009
Review of Rory Gallagher show at the ‘Point’ — Sept. 1974
Gallagher Scores at the ‘Point’
CYNICS can label him an anachronism of the 60’s British blues revival, but Irish guitar whiz Rory Gallagher proved himself to be much more than that, in his absolute demolition of a capacity Main Point mob last night.
Coming on like South Side gangbusters, Gallagher and his quartet revel in volume, but turn it to advantage with their own physical energy. Gallagher himself remains the catalyst, a more-than-competent songwriter with a considerable history of his own and basic blues instincts enriched by a wide variety of guitar gymnastics, as his bass-drums-keyboard band propel each number into the sound fray with appropriate abandon.
VISUALLY, the boys have about as much stage identity as your average punk garage band, each sporting T-shirts and jeans save for Gallagher, who looks overdressed in a plaid, flannel shirt. But for 90 brainbruising minutes, they rocked and rolled in the Point’s pub-like intimacy, building the energy layer upon layer without losing themselves in their own decibelic wonder.
Center spotlight naturally falls on Gallagher, who does everything with it but plug it in. Running down recent originals with a couple of Junior Wells numbers, he embelishes each with rampant guitar soloing, with and without slide, and milks each for all the momentum to be from something like “Messin’ With the Kid.”
As licks fly back and forth, he prances about the admittedly small stage quite actively, accompanying each new riff with a facial grimace. Yet even with all of the energy, Gallagher’s act is basically formula, relying on a rising audience pulse to feed back the atmospheric electricity needed to make it click.
GALLAGHER DOES have sense enough to inject a wee bit of variety into the proceedings, though his lone “soft” ballad still utilized a little too much volume to qualify as such. But he did bring along his National Steel guitar for two fine acoustic numbers, one of them a J.B. Hutto fun blues called “Too Much Alcohol.” His riffs here can scream just as loudly without amplification while the actual technique becomes much cleaner and easier for aficionados to dissect.
In toto, Rory Gallagher can party with the best of them and his show last night may well be the best out-and-out rock performance the Point has seen in many a moon. Call it loud. Call it mono-dimensional. But fail not to call it as it is — a savagely rock-in’ good time.
David Fricke, “The Evening Bulletin”, September 3, 1974
He’s is right I was there, about 20 years ago
I’m confused. And I think I’m the cause. I was there. And my name is Craig. This person wrote a note March 1, 2014 it says. “he’s right I was there about 20 years ago.” The event took place on September 1974 the main point, in Bryn Mar, Pa. Tell wasn’t me that wrote this note? 2014 to 1974, 20 years??? I don’t think so. Perhaps there’s another guy named Craig, who in March 2014 managed to attend the concert 20 years ago in September 1974?
Very confusing, indeed !
I was there sitting at an old school desk, watching Rory he was incredible and I knew this is truly great music! There aren’t many guitar players out there that could play like him not using all the electronic crap.