Robben Ford in Amsterdam, March 9 2024

[Oscar67]

Went to see Robben play in Amsterdam last night. He did five shows in Holland with a large Dutch big band called Licks and Brains. I love Robben’s playing and his music so I was stoked to see him. Here ‘s clip of one of the other dates (not my vid).

About half the set was Robben’s material, the other half was picked by the big band. That big band, they were a hoot. They blew the roof off. I loved them. Tight, groovy, swinging, a well-oiled machine, and when it was time for one of them to step up and solo, everyone rose to the occasion. They didn’t seem to be intimidated by Robben at all. This includes their guitarist, he really held his own all night. Large group, too. Drums, percussion, bass, keys, guitar and about 15 horn players. They moved a lot of air.

Robben… I dunno. Couldn’t tell if he enjoyed it or not. He didn’t talk to the audience. He was there and he played or sang when he had to play or sing. To my ears, his guitar sound was terrible. He seemed to use a rented Quad Reverb and it was standing right by his knees, so he didn’t get any of the amp’s highs. To compensate, he turned up the treble and it singed my arm hairs off. And I was sitting at a table in the back row… I felt sorry for the folks in the front row who were sitting right in the amp’s beam. He also used a ton of reverb and lots effects, including a what sounded like a ring modulator. Basically he tried to use trippy sounds dripping with effects. Might have worked well in a trio setting, didn’t work here. Getting a great guitar sound and being heard over the din of a big band like this… it’s not easy. Seems to me like he didn’t really try to adapt. As a consequence, I had a hard time appreciating what he played. His bass notes tended to be lost in the din, his treble notes hurt.

(On the vid above, from another show, it sounds better than what I heard last night.)

Still, it was great to be reminded once again of the joys of a really good big band. Hats off to those guys.

[yebdox]

I made the mistake of sitting in front of Robben's Dumble at Jazz Alley 8 or 9 years ago (Seattle.) Always love his playing and have probably heard him 15 or 20 times over the years (much more frequently when I lived in LA in the 80's.)

Anyway, the treble was painful, directly beaming at the front row, floor level from the stage. However, I stayed for the 2nd set and sat in the balcony, and the tone just bloomed in that room. So lovely, and much more reminiscent of his tone at clubs in LA in the 80's. (Primarily with his Dumble, strats, 335s and his Esprit.) Maybe he knows something about live tone that I would never have guessed. Depending on the room, that treble might kill the front row, but once it disperses, it can sound great in a decent room.

And... I've definitely seen Robben having a bad night, like anyone. Much less gracious when he's not happy with his sound or playing, but totally understandable. All in all, still one of my favorite players of all time.