Bluesmen return Stones songs to their roots
In the Rolling Stones song “Monkey Man,” Mick Jagger sneers the awesome lyric, “I hope we’re not too messianic or a trifle too satanic, but we love to play the blues.”
With the release of the 2016 album “Blue and Lonesome,” the Stones put that blues-loving statement to the test by stripping the band’s sound down to its essence and covering a dozen tracks from the American blues legends that inspired them. While that album showcased that influence through covers of lesser known artists, Friday night’s set at the Egg’s Swyer Theatre by Chicago Plays the Stones took that concept and tweaked it a bit.
The crew of Chicago-based blues vets led by guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks and harmonica player Billy Branch offered up a set of a baker’s dozen Stones
tracks that served two purposes. The first was to show the serious chops of these bluesmen. The second is that you could pick a tune from nearly any point in the Rolling Stones’ 50-plus-year run and find an element of, or a way to connect it to, the sound of northern, urban American blues.
Take “Out of Control,” a song from the Stones’ 1997 album “Bridges to Babylon.” That version sounds very much like a latter-day Stones song, neatly arranged and kind of catchy, but also kind of forgettable. The Chicago Plays the Stones rendition was twice as fast rhythmically, the guitars of Brooks and Giles Corey blasting out a grimy roadhouse vamp while Branch pumped out an incendiary mouth harp solo upon concluding his vocals.
Or you could take a trip back to arguably the Stones’ last truly great album, 1978’s “Some Girls.” Chicago Plays the Stones performed “Miss You” and “Beast of Burden,” two enduring classics. The coked-out disco-rock of the former was replaced by a slow blues crunch, only the lyrics and some effervescently funky bass lines from Felton Crews kept the track tethered to the original version. The latter was effectively altered from a simmering ballad into a swing-blues number and it made for something fresh.
Even the country-rock from the Stones’ 1968-1972 hot streak was explored in a bluesy manner, to generally positive results. “Let it Bleed” found Branch replacing Jagger’s drawling vocals with a tighter delivery and the Corey/ Brooks duo eschewing the acoustic twang of Keith Richards and Mick Taylor with leaner, grittier guitar parts.
The performance of “Dead Flowers” was slightly less successful in pulling out the blues influence. Highlighted by some torrid slide work from Corey, the tune was performed well but ultimately still sounded more like a country ditty than a blues one.
And some songs are just so undeniably great they work however they’re presented. “Satisfaction” was turned into a sweet soul number by Otis Redding, a gloriously weird slice of alt-rock by Devo and a dance-pop jam by Britney Spears, so it makes sense a top-notch blues band could whip together a lively, engaging version.
“Gimme Shelter” was really cooking, Corey rocking the original riff at double-speed and the rest of the band ripping a driving rhythm that owes a debt to a song the Stones themselves once covered, Muddy Waters’ “I Just Want to Make Love to You.”
The highlight of the evening was “Sympathy for the Devil.”
Chicago Plays the Stones harnessed the track’s energy and chaos, turning it into a struttin’ blues-rocker. Brooks literally strutted around the stage as he played some hot licks, Branch cut loose for a tasty little harmonica solo and it ended the main set with a standing ovation. Brooks led the band through “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” for an encore, putting his own spin on its iconic riff. It was neither messianic nor satanic, but it was definitely the blues — and the band, much like the Stones, clearly loved playing it.
James Shahen is a frequent contributor to the Times Union.