Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush – Pantages Theatre – Minneapolis MN – August 17th 2025

A Special Evening with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis started out with a stripped-down set featuring songs from their newly released joint effort titled “Young Fashioned Ways”. For this opening portion of the show, the scaled down band was positioned together like an acoustic breakout in front of the full production setup. I thought this was an effective way to recreate the look and feel of how the band may have interacted in the studio as these songs were first coming together.

As the music began, it only took a few notes from Rush’s recognizable style on harp to get the crowds attention and effectively establish a mood for the swampy opener “Hey Baby”. Rush got right into acting on what he’s learned from 74 years of live entertainment. He wasn’t just singing lyrics but was instead connecting with the audience through storytelling. At one point he revealed his age to the crowd, and I’d have to say, at 91 years old he looks great, sounds great and still plays great!

Despite a significant age difference, the chemistry between Rush and Shepherd simply works. Their appreciation and respect for each other was apparent and shone brightest while engaging in a few playful bouts of call and response between guitar and harp. With Rush out front attending to the crowd, Shepherd was free to remain seated and focused on delivering on all the nuances this music required, tapping into various complex techniques. He also cycled through several guitars that were outside of what we are used to seeing him play during the live show. A Gibson 335 was his choice for the slide work on “Hey Baby”, a 12-string acoustic fit the bill for “One More Time”, and perhaps the most unusual was a Danelectro Baritone he used to craft the mischievously low tone required for “Make Love To You”.

The material from this project provided a diversely satisfying mix of styles, which organically established a variety of moods and feel along this sonic journey. It ultimately did ramp up to a couple more upbeat selections starting with “You So Fine”. The sets closer was the album’s title track “Young Ways”, which was a clear stand out that allowed room for Shepherd’s most inspired solo. It was a perfect launching point for the full band set that was about to come.

After a short break to reconfigure the stage, it was time for the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band consisting of Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Guitars, Vocals), Noah Hunt (Vocals, Guitar), Chris Layton (Drums), Kevin McCormick (Bass), Joe Krown (Keys), Doug Woolverton (Trumpet), Charlie Dipuma (Saxophone). The set kicked off beautifully with “Woman Like You” which provides great energy and is a favorite of mine when it comes to appreciating how well Hunt’s vocals compliment this music. Shepherd has also been contributing more on vocals, particularly on the new songs off “Dirt On My Diamonds Volumes 1 &  2”, which they played several tracks from. Even in this shorter set, it was great to see everyone get a chance to shine. Krown offered up his best work on Keys during “Talk To Me Baby” and the horn section really brought the heat on “I Want You”. It’s always a privilege to see Layton behind the kit, particularly when his unrivaled shuffle is laying the foundation for some SRV style licks from Shepherd. The best example of this came during “Shame, Shame, Shame” when Shepherd’s high octane solo was built around the key riffs from “Texas Flood”. The audience overwhelmingly showed their appreciation with a well-deserved standing ovation.

It was fun to hear “Deja Voodoo”, which Shepherd noted was the song from his debut album “Ledbetter Heights” that introduced his band to the world. This tune really allowed you to appreciate Shepherd’s outstanding tone and was a platform for him to offer up some of his most dynamic playing of the evening. Aside from the song itself, “I Want You” was special because it was the one tune Shepherd pulled “Copperboy” out for, his spectacular copper/orange sparkle Custom Shop Stratocaster. It just looks so fantastic under stage lighting. The one song that featured guitar alone was the instrumental “While We Cry”, which along with broadly showcasing Shepherd’s immense skill would also have quenched anyone’s thirst for a little Hendrix inspired playing. And finally, “I’m a King Bee” was the perfect choice to close out the show as it provided everyone one final chance to shine.

The encore of course included “Blue On Black” and I always love seeing Shepherd breakout the black Stratocaster with the not so typically matched blue pickguard. Bringing Bobby Rush back out for the final 2 songs was a classy touch that bookended the evening in style. The upbeat 70’s inspired “Uncle Esau” was a standout.

Opening Set with Bobby Rush:
Hey Baby (What Are We Gonna Do)
Long Way From Home
40 Acres (How Long)
Make Love To You
One More Time
You So Fine
Young Ways
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band:
Woman Like You
Dirt On My Diamonds
Watch You Go
Deja Voodoo
Shame, Shame, Shame
Talk To Me Baby
I Want You
While We Cry
I’m a King Bee
Encore:
Blue On Black
Uncle Easu
Who Was That