My favorite singer was in my hometown Monday (Oct. 16) so yours truly was in the house at the House of Blues AC to enjoy the blues legend Bonnie Raitt. I haven’t kept exact track, but I think I have seen her live about 20 times. I’ve been a fan since a friend turned me on her music in 1971. Hard to believe that was 35 years ago.
When her career began, Bonnie Raitt was a sassy California kid who worshipped the blues legends she wanted to emulate. All these many years later, she is a blues legend who in turn has inspired other artists. I had the great honor of interviewing her last year when she was in town to record a live show for VH1. She enjoyed the notion that she was the wily old veteran, and suggested that like her father John Raitt, she wanted to keep performing until she was 87. You can check out sound bites from that interview at www.acweekly.com (click on the audio link).

Her show Monday was vintage BR, a great mix of songs from her current release Souls Alike, selected favorite cuts going back to her first album, the big hits from her Grammy-winning years, and plenty of love for her band, including the amazing keyboardist Jon Cleary from New Orleans by way of the UK. Naturally Bonnie never performs a song exactly like the record, and as always, she slipped in a few plugs for the causes she is passionate about – biodiesel fuel, the Dixie Chicks and John Hall, running for congress in New York.

The set list:
1) Roadrunner
2) Two Lights in the Nighttime
3) God Was in The Water
4) Unnecessarily Mercenary
5) Matters of the Heart
6) I Will Not Be Denied
7) Nick of Time
8) Mighty Tight Woman
9) Give It Up Or Let Me Go
10) Papa Come Quick (Jody and Chico)
11) Have A Heart
12) I Will Not Be Broken
13) Something To Talk About
14) Love Sneaking Up On You
Encore
15) I Can’t Make You Love Me
16) Not the Only One
17) Love Letter

Best songs of the night included “Unnecessarily Mercenary,” a duet with Cleary; “I Will Not Be Denied,” “Mighty Tight Woman” (from her debut album); “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (another fab Cleary solo); “Give It Up” (with a Dixie Chicks plug for recording it too) and “God Was In The Water.”
Bonnie gave props to Jersey girls for being hot mamas; dedicated “I Will Not Be Broken” to the late governor of Texas Ann Richards; dedicated “Nick of Time” to her late parents and dedicated “God Was In The Water” to the Katrina victims, declaring, “They are still waiting for the help they deserved a long time ago.”
She also revealed that she would be opening for the Rolling Stones in Las Vegas (Nov. 11) and at Dodger Stadium (Nov. 18). Can you imagine what the party will be like backstage?

Later.