Blues Traveler 30th Anniversary Tour - Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT

Blues Traveler - Ridgefeidl Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT - photo by Luxury Experience

We caught the GrammyÂ® award winning, multi-platinum selling Rock band, the Blues Traveler 30th Anniversary Tour at The Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and what a night it was! Founded in 1987 in Princeton, New Jersey, Blues Traveler is a rock band that has long been on our musical radar, and in our stacks of music.

In 2006, the Blues Traveler performed at The Ridgefield Playhouse to a sold-out house. On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, we had the good fortune of attending the first stop of the Blues Traveler 30^th Anniversary Tour at The Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Connecticut, where once again Fairfield County showed its appreciation by selling out the house. Front man, singer, songwriter, harmonicist John Popper, grew up in Stamford, Connecticut and Princeton, New Jersey, and Fairfield County came out in force to celebrate their one-time native son.

Los Colognes

Opening for Blues Traveler was the rock band Los Colognes, a young and talented 5-piece band based out of Nashville, comprised of front man singer guitarist Jay Rutherford, Gordon Persha on bass, Micah Hulscher, Chuck Foster, and drummer Aaron Mortenson.

The band played a selection of cuts including Baby, You Can’t Have Both, and Backseat Driver off their 2015 Dos release, Molly B. Good and The White Whale off their latest 2017 release entitled, The Wave, and the title track Working Together off their 2014 release by the same name. They ended by covering the Bob Dylan song, It’s All Over Now Baby Blue, giving the audience a glimpse into their talent.

Blues Traveler - Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by Luxury Experience
Blues Traveler

Blues Traveler has been together for 30 years, with 15 albums to their credit and as such had a treasure chest of music from which to perform, allowing them to take the audience on a nostalgic musical tour of their repertoire. Founded in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987 by John Popper (vocals, harmonica), Brendan Hill (drums), Chan Kinchla (guitar), and Bobby Sheehan (bass) who died in 1999, Blues Traveler is a band that has retained its core players. In 1999 they added Tad Kinchla (Chan Kichla’s younger brother) on bass, and Ben Wilson on keyboards, providing the band with the advantage of having an engaging and distinct sound that has earned them world-wide recognition and awards.

John Popper - Ridgefield Playhouse - Photo by Luxury Experience
John Popper

The band opened the first night of their 30^th anniversary tour with the song, Believe Me, off their third album entitled, Save His Soul, from 1993. Next in the line-up was Girl Inside My Head, off their 6^th album entitled Bridge, released in 2001, followed by Dropping Some NYC off their debut 1990 eponymous album, Blues Traveler.

Listen to Blues Traveler perform Run-Around Live at the Ridgefield Play – https://youtu.be/pdwamx2Xg6M

Moving to their later library of music, the band segued into Things Are Looking Up, off their Suzie Cracks The Whip album released in 2012. When the band slid into Run-Around, off their 1994 fourth release, entitled, Four, they had the audience on their feet, a position that most held throughout the evening.

Chan Kinchla - Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by Luxury Experience
Chan Kinchla

Providing a glimpse into the future and their upcoming release (expected out in early 2018), the band played Ode To The Aspect, a ballad, for which if the rest of the release is as good as that was, the new album is going to be a killer.

Moving back in time, the band played the song, You, Me, And Everything, off their 10^th album, North Hollywood Shootout, released in 2008, followed by Castaway off their 12^th album, Blow Up The Moon released in 2015.

Ted Kinchla - Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by Luxury Experience
Ted Kinchla

The band continued with three great cuts off their 1996 release, Live From The Fall, with But Anyway from Disc One, and The Mountains Win Again and What’s For Breakfast from Disc Two, and Hook off their 1994 album, entitled Four.

John Popper introduced the next song, She Becomes My Way, as a song off their upcoming release, and it was a dynamic way to end the evening with a tantalizing view of what’s to come from the Blues Traveler.

Ben Wilson - Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by Luxury Experience
Ben Wilson

Musical highlights from the evening included Brendan Hill bringing down the house with his drum solos and Tad Kinchla shredding his bass with his quick fingered playing. Ben Wilson had some wonderful keyboard interludes, and as always, John Popper’s voice and harmonica carried the day, crafting another highpoint of excellence. Chan Kinchla on guitar was the band’s resident cheerleader who engaged the audience by getting them to sing along, wave, and just ride along on the musical high of the first night of their 30^th anniversary tour.

Until next time, keep enjoying the music!

Brendan Hill - Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by Luxury Experience
Brendan Hill

The upcoming dates of the Blues Traveler 30^th Anniversary Tour

October 14, 2017	The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
October 15, 2017	The NorVa, Norfolk, VA
October 17, 2017	The National, Richmond, VA
October 18, 2017	The Ritz, Raleigh, NC
October 20, 2017	Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, FL
October 21, 2017	Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale, FL
October 24, 2017	The Steeple, Mobile, AL
October 26, 2017	Elmo’s, Austin, TX
October 27, 2017	House of Blues, Dallas, TX
October 28, 2017	House of Blues, Houston, TX
October 30, 2017	Cain’s Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
November 1, 2017	Pantages Theatre, Minneapolis, MN
November 3, 2017	The Vogue, Indianapolis, IN
November 4, 2017	Delmar Hall, Saint Louis, MO
November 5, 2017	Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
November 7, 2017	House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
November 8, 2017	The Depot, Salt Lake City, UT
November 10, 2017	Knitting Factory Concert House, Boise, ID
November 11, 2017	Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
November 12, 2017	The Showbox @ The Market, Seattle, WA
November 14 -15, 2017	The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
November 17, 2017	The Belasco, Los Angeles, CA
November 18, 2017	House of Blues, Anaheim, CA
November 19, 2017	House of Blues, San Diego, CA
January 26, 2018	House of Blues, Boston, MA
January 27, 2018	Paramount, Huntington, NY
January 28, 2018	State Theatre, Ithaca, NY
January 30, 2018	House of Blues, Cleveland, OH
February 2, 2018	20 Monroe Live, Grand Rapids, MI
February 3, 2018	House of Blues, Chicago, IL
February 6, 2018	Mercury Ballroom, Louisville, KY
February 7, 2018	Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
February 9, 2018	Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
February 10, 2018	House of Blues, Orlando, FL
February 11, 2018	Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, FL
February 13, 2018	The Stage on Bay, Savannah, GA
February 15, 2018	Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
February 16, 2018	Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
February 23, 2018	Irving Plaza, NY, NY

For a complete listing of upcoming Blues Traveler performances, please visit the website: www.BluesTraveler.

A Sampling of the many upcoming 2017 shows at The Ridgefield Playhouse:

October 17, 2017	Sergio Mendes & Brasil 2017
October 19, 2017	Boney James
October 20, 2017	Mary Wilson of the Supremes
October 21, 2017	The Fab Four – The Ultimate Tribute
October 25, 2017	Dennis Quaid an The Sharks
October 26, 2017	Renaissance
October 27, 2017	Martin Sexton Trio
October 30, 2017	An Intimate Evening with Amos Lee
November 2, 2017	Kenny G: The Miracles of Holiday & Hits Tour 2017
November 4, 2017	Vanessa Williams in Concert
November 5, 2017	Tuesdays with Morrie: The Play
November 7, 2017	Citizen Cope
November 8, 2017	Anna Raimondi
November 9, 2017	Carbon Leaf
November 11, 2017	The Sixties Show
November 12, 2017	America
November 18, 2017	A Darlene Love Christmas: Love For The Holidays
November 19, 2017	The Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks! Tour Gala
November 20, 2017	David Crosby & Friends, Sky Trails Tour 2017
November 22, 2017	Met Opera ENCORE in HD: The Exterminating Angels (Ades)
November 25, 2017	Bolshoi Ballet ENCORE in HD: Taming of the Shrew
November 30, 2017	Rufus Wainwright
December 1, 2017	John Tesh Grand Piano Christmas
December 2, 2017	Jane Lynch: A Swingin’ Little Christmas
December 6, 2017	Melissa Etheridge: Merry Christmas, Baby
December 7, 2017	Tim Currie’s Motown Review Band
December 9, 2017	Snowkus Pocus
December 15-17, 2017	The Nutcracker
December 20, 2017	The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Celebration

For information and the complete listing of upcoming performances at The Ridgefield Playhouse, please visit the website: www.RidgefieldPlayhouse.org

For tickets or information, please call The Ridgefield Playhouse Box Office: + 1-203-438-5795.