Saturday, November 14, 1998
The Cotton Club
Atlanta, Georgia
Prepare for the coming of Susan. This Boston area blues musician is so electrifying, you’ll swear you’re watching the reincarnation of Janis Joplin as channeled through a young Bonnie Raitt. The final result is a performer that rocks your body and touches your soul.
Do yourself a favor and catch this super talent now before she rockets in popularity and has to start playing stadiums. I was lucky enough to have seen her at the medium-sized Cotton Club. The acoustics were pristine and the club benefits from having a large dance floor in front of the stage. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of seats and tables on raised levels around the outer circle of the club.
The half capacity crowd appeared to be largely filled with folks unfamiliar with Susan. No one seemed to pay any attention as she and the band set up their own equipment. On the other hand, I was jumping out of my skin waiting for the chaos to ensue.
Susan was wearing a gorgeous red orchid print skirt with a sleeveless black blouse. Over this she was sporting a funky black jacket with mega fuzzy faux gray fur. Her hair was long and flowing, and she had no make-up. Given the raw, sweaty set that would ensue, this simplicity was obviously intentional.
Finally, my wait was over when she stepped up to the microphone and belted, "I haven’t been rocked in a long, long time." There was a palpable shift in the crowd as everyone immediately focused their attention on the alarming voice that was now barraging them with "Rock Me Right."
She had definitely gotten their attention, but the tentativeness of the crowd continued until Susan announced that she would be doing an old Ruth Brown song. Seconds into "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean," I found myself in the center of a packed dance floor, flailing around in a sea of bodies. By the final note, the crowd had been converted to official worshippers at the Shrine of Susan.
She followed this up with a sultry reading of "Just Won’t Burn" before promising the crowd some blues with "Friar’s Point." This is the kind of show you’ve just gotta dance to. However, do yourself a favor and take some time to just watch Susan as well. She is such an engaging performer: closing here eyes, laughing, sticking her tongue out and essentially immersing herself in the emotions of the songs.
"It Hurt So Bad" sounded so good. As did the slow build of "Little By Little." Susan’s the kind of performer that can keep pouring on the intensity. Just when you think she’s peaked, she hits a new level. And, she still looks darn good doing it.
The latter half of the set was sprinkled with lots of blues covers. Susan proved that she can play with the boys by mastering numbers from John Prine to B.B. King. It was Prine’s "Angel From Montgomery," a song largely associated with Bonnie Raitt, that slowed the crowd down and served as a kiss on the cheek. After pouring her heart out for nearly two hours, Susan allowed the weariness in her voice to shine through and bring life to this gorgeous classic.
But the real highlight of a Susan Tedeschi show is, as she puts it, the "evil songs," So, she finished us off with a B.B. King foot-stomper. I’ll be honest, I haven’t gotten that much of a workout at a concert since my misspent youth in mosh pits. Don’t get me wrong, I’m relishing every ache and pain that Susan caused. For now, I can’t say, "I haven’t been rocked in a long, long time."
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