Stevie Ray Vaughan - guitar, vocals; Chris Layton - drums; Tommy Shannon - bass; Guest: Jimmy Vaughan - guitar on "Cold Shot" and "Couldn't Stand The Weather"
Recorded six years before Vaughan's untimely death in a helicopter crash outside of East Troy, Wisconsin, this is among the finest live recordings of the legendary Texas bluesman one is ever likely to hear.
Vaughan first achieved national recognition as the original guitarist on David Bowie's 'Serious Moonlight/Let's Dance' project in 1983. By the time this concert was recorded the following year, he had already garnered enough success as a solo artist to be able to play a full 90-minute show of cutting edge blues guitar that was distinctly his own - and wholly original for the time.
Backed by the simple two man rhythm section dubbed Double Trouble (bassist Tommy Shannon had previously backed another Texas blues master, Johnny Winter) Vaughan plays with fire and intensity throughout this show. Original hits like "Pride & Joy" and "Cold Shot" are here, as are a number of classic blues instrumentals, such as "Testify," which he uses to both open and close the show. But the real highlight of the set is Vaughan's blistering read of Jimi Hendrix's blues-rock classic, "Voodoo Chile," which Vaughan plays with an intensity nearly as powerful as the Hendrix original. You won't even care that the first verse's vocals are missing (the sound engineer forgot to turn up Vaughan's vocal mic until he went to the chorus of the song); Vaughan's guitar sings loud enough.
As one would expect, another sure highlight is the two song combo featuring Vaughan'ss older brother, Jimmy, of The Fabulous Thunderbirds fame. Rock was in the blood for these boys, and the brothers, with help from Double Trouble, show the audience how Texas truly plays the blues. A must for blues and rock fans anywhere.