At 70, Dave still has it...
by ndconcerts on 1/11/17Talking Stick Resort - ScottsdaleThis was my third time seeing Dave Mason. I've been in love with this man's voice and songwriting skills ever since I first heard "We Just Disagree" when it was released as a single in 1977. This concert was the first time I ever saw him do a full set, with his own band. This current tour features Mason giving a full performance of his 1970 debut "Alone Together", with a few Traffic songs tossed in. It was not a greatest-hits show, which seemed to disappoint some of the people near where I sat, in a booth in the back of the room (note to potential ticket buyers at this venue: avoid the rear booths. I couldn't see anything but the video monitors on each side of the stage, and I'm 6'5). I really didn't mind, because I like all of Dave's work, and not just the hits. He was in great voice, his vocals sounding clear as a bell. What surprised me was Dave's humor--he talked a bit about songs, shared stories about his friendships with Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison, and made those of us along for the ride laugh quite a bit. But the music was center-stage. I was really floored by Dave's lead guitar skills, particularly on a re-imagining of Traffic's post-Dave song "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys". It was some of the most powerful lead guitar work I'd heard in years; I would compare Mason to David Gilmour, whose concert at the Hollywood Bowl in 2016 was really strat-ospheric (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun). I knew that Mason was a great guitar player, just not THAT great. It was quite a revelation! While the show clocked in at around the ninety-minute mark, I never found my attention wandering, even despite my poor seat. I also paid for the pre-show meet-n-greet, which meant that another fan and myself got to witness Dave's soundcheck from the front row, were given a folder of collectables (laminate, cd's, 8 x 10 photo), meet him onstage afterwards, get a few things signed, plus a photo taken with him. While I was a bit surprised that Dave wasn't Mr. Personality during this, he wasn't dismissive either. I rarely go for VIP packages, because they tend to cost far too much--but Dave's thankfully was just $125 (not including the ticket to the show). If you're as big a fan of this man as I am, you could do worse for an evening of great music performed brilliantly.