Photos/Writer: Rudy Lu
A beautiful unusually warm early autumn night was the setting. It seemed like the entire village of Athens was out. Vanessa Collier and her band wrapped up a 2 week tour by rocking the Riverfront Park.
This free concert was rescheduled from a date scheduled during the summer. It was worth the wait.Vanessa and her band created excitement with their set of blues, funk and soul.
Vanessa is generally known for and was formally schooled in saxophone @ Berklee. Her set showed she is equally adept at guitar and dobro. The sounds coming out of the saxophone were bluesy and full of soul in many cases resembled a harmonica rather than an instrument associated with jazz. Her guitarist Mike Sherman shredded, wrestled and squeezed notes to match the moods of the songs. Drummer Byron Cage with his fills and thunderous bass drums gave body to the music.Scott Sutherland was the rock steady bass player allowing Vanessa to freely express herself.
The upbeat “Do It Your Own Way” was balanced with the soulful “Wild as a Rainstorm” from her latest release.The funky “Heart on a Line” was set against the bluesy “Bloodhound” from an earlier release,
She made “I Can’t Stand the Rain” and “Love Me Like A Man” , hits for Tina Turner and Bonnie Raitt her own.
A rock and roll “Two Parts Sugar, One Part Lime” was dedicated to her mother.
Overall, it was a great goodbye to summer and hello to fall.
Thanks to Rich Surrano and the rest of APAC for a great concert. Looking forward to next season,
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