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By Rob Goald
rsgoald@comcast.net
IAN HUNTER ROCKS LAS VEGAS
By Rob Goald
Ian Hunter brought his instantly infectious brand of rock to the Canyon
Club at the 4 Queens Hotel last Thursday night. Hunter appearing on
stage in his omnipresent dark glasses and finely coiffed blond corkscrew
hair has been likened to a British version of Bob Dylan with shades of
Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis thrown in for good measure.
With his band Mott the Hoople the guitarist/vocalist established himself
as one of the toughest and most inventive songwriters of the early '70s,
setting the stage for punk rock with his edgy, intelligent songs. In
1972, David Bowie produced Mott’s breakthrough album, All the Young
Dudes which brought the band into the British Top Ten and the American
Top 40. For the next two years, the group had a consistent stream of
hits in both the U.K. and the U.S. As a solo artist, Hunter never
attained the commercial heights of Mott the Hoople, but he has developed
a dedicated cult following.
On tour to support his first new album in six years oddly titled
“Shrunken Heads”, Hunter turned in a thrillingly poignant performance
that kicked off with his signature tune that pays homage to the rock n’
roll life - “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”. His set included his wonderful new
single “Words (Big Mouth)” which he performed on CBS Television’s Late
Night with Craig Ferguson just two days before the Vegas show and his
tribute to 9/11 fittingly titled “Twisted Steel”. Hunter’s previous
album, “Rants” focused on his reflections on the dying British Empire
while this new one focuses on his newly adopted American (he resides in
Connecticut) home.
Performing “Soul of America” and other searing political indictments
(“You took our loyalty and tore it to shreds”) Hunter masterfully weaves
a Dylan-esque web of intrigue and remorse as he cynically comments on
the quagmires we find our country in today punctuating the wall of sound
from his five piece band with harmonica. He rendered his heart breaking
ode to loss and death with “Michael Picasso”.
At about the three quarters mark in his 90 minute set which promptly
started at 8PM, Hunter traded in his guitar and harmonica for electric
piano and organ and performed some of his classics such as “Just Another
Night” and from his Mott the Hopple days “All the Away from Memphis”.
His encore oddly enough omitted his signature song “All The Young
Dudes”, but what stands out from this show is that at 67 years old Ian
Hunter Patterson is a unique artist addressing the confusions of modern
day American life. His songs are an interesting mixture celebrating both
society’s foibles and joys because Ian Hunter always plays for keeps:
he's always been a true rock & roll believer. It's what's sustained him
throughout his career, and it's what makes him capable of delivering a
performance this timely, this fearless, and this good. His latest album.
“Shrunken Heads” is available on-line for downloading or pick it up at
your local record purveyor. He deserves a place in the Rock n’ Roll Hall
of Fame.
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