Samantha Fish Rocked The Pageant With a Stellar Show on Friday

–by Randy Thompson and Vicki Lee

–photos by Ryan Ledesma

Multi-genre guitarist extraordinaire Samantha Fish was in town Friday on a stop from her ongoing North American and European “Faster Tour” and impressed with her insane ability on the axe.

The atmosphere in the music hall was calm and pleasant as the audience chatted amongst themselves and they found a place to settle in whether sitting or standing.  At this point, the seats were almost all full and the crowd was tingling with anticipation.  But as the hall darkened, the ominous sound of an oncoming steam engine descended upon the crowd.  The sound of the chugging train with its whistle blowing became hypnotic.  The lights went down and the sound of a searing guitar chord sliced through the air.  The audience realized that once you get on this train, you are not getting off until the end of the line.  Django Knight opened the show and started his set with powerful, energetic guitar work and riveting blues to begin the ride.

With a hardworking band pushing him along with drums and keyboard, the audience was taken away by their powerful presence.  But Django Knight and his band had a few surprises in hand as well to accompany his masterful blues/funk presence, from a gospel inspired version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” to a heart pounding take on Jimi Hendrix version of “The Star Spangled Banner” as an encore.

The crowd was warmed up and ready for the explosive blues/rock stylings of headliner, Samantha Fish and her band made up of her steady, solid drummer Sarah Tomek, bassist Ron Johnson holding down the fort, Jackson Stokes on the other guitar, and keyboardist extraordinaire Matt Wade.

Samantha Fish was a force to be reckoned with in her red, sparkling boots, black leather pants, red jacket and wild blonde curls.  She apologized for having to cancel and reschedule twice but she promised to bring us, her people, into the music with her this night. The set started with “Bulletproof” and proceeded to knock out one great bluesy rock song after another from “All Ice, No Whiskey”, from the new CD Faster to “Chills and Fever” from the album of the same name.

The band gave the audience a ride from her past through an introduction to her newest music.  The crowd embraced it all with an unconditional love earned through great showmanship and incredible talent.  Samantha plays impeccable guitar, has great vocal range and supplies gritty, heartfelt lyrics, all pulled together by a tight band enjoying their craft together.

She delighted the crowd by telling humorous, personal stories, describing the Kansas City/St. Louis love connection that she has with her audience.  Fish invited the crowd to sing along not once, not twice, but three times and they were happy to oblige on several well-loved Samantha Fish favorites.

But just when you thought the train would have to slow down, Django Knight returned to the stage and the duo pushed their guitar skills to a higher level.  After a blistering pair of songs, it all slowed down with a blues/folk encore lifted up by River Kittens’ mandolin player, Alma Betts, and Samantha on her box guitar. For the second encore Samantha invited a new guest, Jackson Stoker, on stage for ferocious blues and what can only be described as an ethereal guitar crescendo that was out of this world.  I could feel the blood pulsing through my veins by the end of the song.

You know you have rocked, felt the blues, and been swept through a night of beautiful, soulful music when you are still dancing in the warm night air on your way home.