Show Review: Monday, December 9, 2002

As Castro struck up it was hard to tell whether the theatre’s heating had come on line, or that the music had put a fire under our seats! It’s always great after you’ve read so much about an artist then find he is as big as his reputation. Castro is a workman-like performer, and please take my analogy as in a work-rate & craftsman fashion. This West Coast forty-seven year old with the boyish look is a black guy in a white man’s body, in fact I felt he was a cross between Jonny Lang & Otis Redding. Tommy’s blue-eyed R&B vocals set on top of a down & hitting the groove guitar style has made him a favourite amongst US audiences for the past few years. Castro doesn’t play at the house; he plays for & to the house.

Another contrast my wandering mind came up with, who incidentally has also played the Opera House; was that Castro sounds like a raw Robert Cray at times. They played as a tight unit, a completed musical amalgam coming straight at you. Randy McDonald pounded out the bass, Billy Lee Lewis was monster on drums, and though sax man Keith Crossan never blew me away; he wrenched some incredible tortured, blue between-note-sounds. Though Castro is the first to emphasize that they are a true band, and not a vehicle for the frontman; it’s Castro that drives & manoeuvres this heavyweight music machine. Though without the aid of his own amp, and noticeably unadorned by stomp-boxes; the creative mind transferred perfectly through the guitarist’s fingers. Solo after passionate solo, multi texturing as the songs unfolded with an obvious joyous glee from doing what he gets a huge kick out of. The band took to some choreographed dancing that added to the evening, and didn’t look too contrived; but just guys having a ball. The band did their stuff which travelled along a Blues/R&B/soul/funk to rock-Blues lineage with almost seamless melding. The band are just what the good Blues doctor ordered – tension, dynamics, strong material, a truly big show performance, and a frontman without a bloated ego who is equally adept at singing as he is a guitar player.

Tommy wanted to transport everyone to New Year’s Eve, well he didn’t manage it ‘cause “Auld Lang Syne” is a downer; and we had a PARTY! Huge kudos to the Newcastle Opera House, we in the North East are no longer in the wilderness!

Billy Hutchinson