PT Rocks the Robin!
Pat Travers Band - The Robin 2 – Wolverhampton - November 4th 2001
To anyone who thought that The Power Trio was dead: You should have been at the Robin 2 on Sunday night, because Pat Travers, Rick Navarro and Eric Frates would have made you think again. They would have slapped the taste right out of your mouth, whilst delivering a masterclass in how to play hard rockin’ blues. The verdict is in: PTB rocks like a bastard!
For me this was a major event. Of all the records I’ve ever bought, some are more special than others and when your fads lure you hither and thither, you always keep one or two that transcend any of your whims. “Heat in the Street” is one of those records in my collection. Its appeal has always required me to play it every so often and because of that, Pat Travers has been a constant musical companion. He also had a lot to live up to: twenty years of rose-tinted, Heineken-laced, spliff-fogged Reading Festival memories, to be exact.
To my surprise, and pleasure, he exceeded my expectations in his performance and impressed me with his personable presence. What struck me most though was the good-humoured way in which they played. From the moment they came on stage (with very little wait after the support band, the most impressive Amor) and powered into “Hooked on Music”, you knew instinctively that this would turn out to be one of the better gigs you had been to this year. It felt good, sounded great and, in spite of having a technical difficulty or two, PTB played superbly. This is one tight band and they played as though they had been together for thirty years, rather than just a couple.
I, for one, enjoyed the gig immensely - one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. The Ozzyland crowd could have been a little more vocal, though, seeming somewhat subdued. But, what about the musicians? Well, Pat Travers really needs no introduction and his abilities are well documented. He certainly has lost none of his guitar hero presence or skills and he is much more accessible and down to earth than I had expected. He also does a good sideline in Ozzy Osbourne impersonations too! My only previous exposure to live Travers had been at the Reading Festival twenty-one years ago and there had been many more people in the audience then. Sunday’s gig was much more intimate and I was but a few feet away from the great man, himself. Bass player, Rick Navarro is one superb musician though and his bass-slappin’ solo was a welcome change to the standard fare. Drummer, Eric Frates, certainly lives up to his nickname, though. After his party-piece, I felt like I’d be run over by a freight train! Boy, does he punish those drums.
Almost two hours long, the set was laden with Travers classics from across the years. High points for me included, the set opener, “Snortin Whisky”, “The Pain”, “Makin’ Magic”, and the set closer, the evergreen, “Boom, Boom, Out Go the Lights”. Following a brief excursion to the side of the stage, they reappeared and, to my extreme delight, finished off with an absolutely stunning version of my all-time fave, “Born Under A Bad Sign”. Before leaving, Pat told the audience he would be out to chat in a few minutes – and then did exactly that. I found all three band members to be the most amiable of chaps. There were no overblown egos, there was no ceremony and no fuss. Pat signed my PTB Live at Reading ‘80 CD and we chatted a bit about that event. We talked about Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck and Robin Trower.
All in all, the evening was, for me, a night I shall long remember, after all, I waited; long enough for it. Hopefully, PTB will be back in the UK early next year. I’ll be there, I think you should be too!
Like it says on the package: PT Rocks!
Don’t you forget it.
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
