Buddy guy, eric gales, and ally venable - damn right farewell tour

Damn right is damn right! I saw it with my eyes, heard it with my ears, breathed it in my lungs.

Buddy Guy brought his 'Damn Right Farewell' tour to town... and it was! Joining him at The Embassy Theater in Fort Wayne on February 23rd were the incomparable Eric Gales, as well as the Ally Venable band to start things off.

And let me say... "Whew, what a night!!!" Jane actually bought our tickets for my 60th birthday last November. She couldn't have imagined a better gift. Not only was it Buddy Guy, in our hometown, but I'm not sure she realized Eric Gales would be here too! I've been a fan of his since the two times we hosted him at C2G/Baker Street Centre (The first time was actually the first concert we worked as volunteers and the second time was in 2019).

I mean, Buddy Guy is Legend. Do I need to say more? Yes, he's 86 years old, but his performance now is measured by the lifetime of music and influence he has shared over the years. I was in awe from the moment he took the stage in his brightly colored shirt under bib overalls and tennies. He sang, told stories, wandered the stage, and slung his guitar longer than I expected. It was an honor and privilege.

Ally Venable was quite a surprise to begin the evening. I was not familiar with her, but anyone who can pull off Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lemmy' is alright in my book! 

The highlight of the evening for me though... Eric Gales. And I'll be honest, I was high from the get-go on this evening. Not from drugs, but being a Thursday night, and me taking Friday off work for a 3-day weekend, and the aura of the old Theater... it was a special night already. When Eric came out and after a brief few notes went into his story of addiction and now 6 1/2 years of sobriety, and then just WAILING on his guitar... Well, those of you who know me will not be surprised that I mostly just sat with a stream of tears for the first few songs. My heart was full and the headliner hadn't even started... Dang.

I could go on about Eric for some time. The two posts I linked above give a good enough idea, and I've honestly yet to fully wrap my head around this night. This pic with him was after the show - FOUR HOURS LATER! Altogether the concert was around 3 hours and 45 minutes. I was so emotionally worn out, and to get an autographed CD and a brief chat just about did me in. Jane had to tell me later what I even said. ...

While I could ramble more, lets just say I was pretty pleased. This was an "event" for me. It seemed like years were flooding through my mind while time stood still and... a lot is churning beneath the surface. I can't even say for sure what it is... but it's good. All of it.

Damn. Right.

I'ma gonna need a minute...