Thirty years ago, I had tickets to see Robert Cray at a club in Cincinnati. Robert canceled the show due to illness, and I never returned to the venue for my refund.
And I never saw him perform.
Until now.
Tuesday evening, Cray performed for nearly two hours before a sold-out audience at the North Shore Center for Performing Arts in Skokie.
Robert Cray is among the most proficient guitarists of his generation. But he is much more than that. His emotional playing and soulful voice make him a complete entertainer. At 71 years old, his voice remains strong. On this night, he was backed by three outstanding musicians - Richard Cousins on bass, Dover Weinberg on keyboards, and Les Falconer on drums.
He drew on his extensive music catalog that spans over forty years. He sang of love and heartache and cheating; he played blues and soul and funk; and he did it all with the passion that he pours into all his music. Songs like "Because of Me," "Anything You Want," and "I Shiver" showed off his vocal range and his mastery of the many Fender guitars on which he played. In addition to his own compositions, Cray offered interpretations of The Mississippi Sheiks' "Sitting on Top of the World" and "You Must Believe in Yourself" by Johnny Copeland. These were the only two non-originals that Cray performed, although he did include the Booker T-inspired "High Tight Onions."
When introducing one song, Robert remarked, "I still love her," a phrase he appended to multiple song introductions throughout the night, weaving it into the introduction and title of several songs.
It was worth waiting three decades for this performance.