Jonny Lang Review
Brian and I went to St. Louis this weekend to see Night Ranger at the Rib America festival. We bought VIP seating so we were 4 rows from the stage. Awesome seats! The performer scheduled to play before Night Ranger was Jonny Lang. We had never heard of him, so we looked at his website to see who he was. Apparently he has won a grammy and started playing guitar when he was 12. We decided to go down to the Soldier’s Memorial Park early so we could catch his show. Boy are we glad we did!
We talked to a few people while we were waiting in line for food and when we asked if they were there for the Night Ranger show they said “No, Jonny Lang.” Our curiosity was definitely peaked. Who is this kid??
A DJ from KSHE 95 named Katie Kruze came out on stage to introduce Jonny Lang and she was saying that someone brought her his CD 10 years ago and told her to play it. She wondered why because the picture on the back was of a kid. She played the CD and within seconds she was running down the hall telling everyone that they had to listen to this kid. The show started and this skinny, young white guy comes out on stage and starts playing the guitar and singing the blues. WOW!! You would never expect that voice to come out of that body, and he can sure play the guitar.
This was the most moving live performance I have ever seen. It was like he wasn’t just playing music, he feels the music, he is the music. His eyes are closed most of the time and his facial expressions are so intense. All the other musicians on the stage with him were amazing too. He had a bass player, guitar, drums, keyboard (organ) and a back up vocalist. I do not know their names except the bass player whose name was Jim Anton. There was so much talent on that stage. I am so glad that we did not miss that show. We will definitely watch for Jonny Lang to come around here again.
Here are some more tour dates for Jonny Lang:
| Fri. 08/15/08 | Saratoga, CA | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Fri. 08/22/08 | Milwaukee, WI | Jonny Lang w/Bonnie Rait |
Tickets |
| Sun. 08/24/08 | St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair |
Jonny Lang w/Buddy Guy, Big Head Todd & Monsters |
Tickets |
| Sat. 08/30/08 | Nashville, TN | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Thu. 09/11/08 | Baraboo, WI | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Fri. 09/12/08 | Duluth, MN | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Wed. 09/17/08 | Milwaukee, WI | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Thu. 09/18/08 | Milwaukee, WI | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Sat. 09/20/08 | Elizabeth, IN | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Fri. 09/26/08 | Agoura Hills, CA | Jonny Lang | Tickets |
| Sun. 10/05/08 | New Orleans, LA | Jonny Lang w/Indegenious |
Tickets |
If you get a chance to see Jonny Lang live, be sure to let us know about your experience!
Be sure to check out this video. It features Jonny Lang talking about his career and clips from some of his live shows.
[tags]Jonny Lang, Jonny Lang concert review[/tags]
Wow. So … Jonny Lang is my hero. I’ve listened to him since I was just about seven years old when my mom got me into him and now he is my favorite thing in the whole world. Some people say he’s too “church” but how could there be too much of God in the world? That’s crazy. And he’s saying God’s word in the most beautiful way that I could ever imagine. I could listen to his cds over and over again and they would never get old. But until you’ve been to one of his concerts, you haven’t seen anything. It’s out of this world. The closest I’ve been at one of them is second row and that was one of the best experiences of my whole life. The man’s got soul. Enough soul for all of us. After the first time I saw him play guitar I bought a guitar and took lessons at school. He’s my hero. And if you haven’t seen his former guitarist Reeve Carney, he is amazing. It’s the best. they just released an EP so you should check it out. Again, wow. If you have a chance to get to one of those concerts, don’t miss it for the world.
I agree with you Mary !! He is amazing.
Wow, I’m a little surprised to see a blues fan whose never heard of Jonny. Jonny doesn’t make his way to the northeast often, but I’ve had the privilege of seeing him twice and I can say he’s one of the most dynamic, energetic, and gracious professional musicians out there today. Almost as impressive as his musical abilities is his humble attitude. Just great performer, who has only started his career and has nowhere to go but up!!
Well, I’m not sure that I consider myself a blues fan so that is probably why I had never heard of him. I mostly listen to rock but I am definitely a Jonny Lang fan now! I’ve been telling everyone I know to go see him if they ever get the chance. Blues fan or not, that is one show any music lover will appreciate.
Jonny Lang is the Blues Maestro
Jonny Lang is hard to describe, you really have to see him to believe it. I have been a fan of his music for years and saw him play live last Sept. for the first time with short notice and back of the bus tickets in Shelton, WA at Little Creek Casino. I thoroughly enjoyed him and his opening act, Vicci Martinez but man he really put on the show in Tacoma on July 11th at the EQC.
From his hard hitting and powerful blues tracks like LIE TO ME, to the off tempo acoustic softness of BREAKIN’ ME and the heartfelt soul-searching of the gospel tracks like TURNAROUND and IT’S NOT OVER… Jonny Lang EMOTES his music through a voice that has the seasoned quality of a 50 year old African American Blues vocalist with a 4 pack a day habit. People were stunned when they first heard this scrawny Wonder Bread kid from Fargo, North Dakota perform on shows like Jay Leno belting out tunes with that grizzled blues voice- at the ripe old age of 14!
Add the mature and professional musicians and vocal back-up talent that he has with him and you have a recipe for success and a great night of musical entertainment! Jonny brings out the best in his band mates talents. They leave it all out on the stage, clearly using all of their energy and feeding off the power they pull out of the enthralled audience; leaving depleted plutonium rods on the stage by the end of the show!
Jonny makes the guitar come along for this wild ride, following his raucous and emotional roller coaster as he throws his voice through the full spectrum of deep bass diaphragm pushes to crescendos of high falsettos with clear diction that he navigates through the lyrics and message. Jonny finds the masterful balance of power perfectly between vocals and instrumentals; never overpowering or losing the lyrics with his blistering guitar riffs.
For me, this young man is to Blues and Rock; what Tiger Woods is to golf. He has truly matured from child prodigy; to THE Blues Maestro.
How much better will and can Jonny get? Lord only knows, but it seems his talent is endlessly evolving. I will come along for the ride, put me down now for front-row tickets to his next show in our area… they are never the same.
Michael Bednarz
Pt. Townsend, WA USA
Michael,
Thank you for the comment. You have captured the essence of Jonny Lang perfectly, something we tried to do but fell a little short. We appreciate the additional praise for this amazing artist.
Britne
Saw Jonny Lang last night in the perfect venue – Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. I’m telling you, I’ve never seen anyone so in tune with their music in my life. He is part of that guitar and he makes it sing – which is saying alot ’cause he can sing with a blues voice unlike many today. The rest of the band was outstanding and the solo’s by each member were outstanding. DO NOT MISS THE CHANCE TO SEE THIS GUY – YOU WON’T BE SORRY!
Ian,
Thanks for sharing your Jonny Lang experience with us. We feel the same way and will definitely go see him every time he has a show near us!
I saw Jonny Lang and the AMAZING band at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary last night too…what a great night! Jonny is a true musician who leaves it all on the stage…it’s all about the music. Loved every moment of the show, including the positive messages he’s sending. I’m not very “church” as one person put it earlier, but I think trying to be a better person is something everyone should strive for and living it through music that makes you want to dance works for me. I must getting old though…my ears were ringing for hours after.
KT
Thanks for sharing your Jonny Lang experience with us. I think he definitely sings positive and uplifting music. My ears ring for days after some concerts these days. I must be getting old too. I’ve started keeping a pair of ear plugs in my pocket just in case.
Calgary August 7th show – If you have never seen a real life guitar prodigy go and see Jonny Lang when you get the chance. He plays blind most of the time and his wailing guitar solos are mind numbing to watch and to hear. Such passion in one so young, and what a nice, genuinely polite and caring guy he is. Can’t remember the last time I witnessed a drum solo that left me speechless like the one put on by his drummer did. That is true talent. Jonny and his band come off as a bit more rock than heavy blues these days. I was almost deaf when I came out. It’s intense. But in a good way. Won’t forget his show in a hurry, that’s for sure! One can only wonder where his career will go from here. Hope he puts out a new album soon.
Bexy
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I thought the whole band was great too. I was really suprised when I saw how young Jonny Lang was. He sings like an old soul.
Just saw Jonny at Mn State Fair. I’ve always been a fan and have seen him in concert in Duluth, MN and also New York City. I was actually somewhat disappointed this time though. The songs were so long and drawn out, the set seemed very short. I love the props he gives to the band, but the solos got to be a bit much even. He is an immensely talented musician and I love to listen to his music, but the concert experience this time was not on par with previous performances I’ve seen. The lighting and special effects were distracting, at one point turning him orange on the video feed.
C
This is the first negative experience we have heard about. I guess it’s possible everyone has a bad day occasionally. Thanks for sharing.