Blues Traveler performs more than mainstream hits at Wait
By George Graves
Contributing Reviewer

It’s always fun to look back at bands that seemed to have a huge impact, only to fade away into the annals of music history. Blues Traveler is one of these bands.

The band hit it big in 1994 with their album Four, which introduced most of the world to their blues-based, harmonica-heavy rock. “Run-Around” became a Top 40 hit, and it looked like they would be here for the long run.

Yet Blues Traveler had only a tinge of success with the follow-up Straight On Till Morning before disappearing from the limelight to deal with lead singer John Popper’s obesity and the death of bassist Bobby Sheehan in 1999.

Two years later, they appeared in Wait Chapel to promote their latest album, Bridge, making the audience abuzz with excitement.

Yet, as always, there is a catch.

We’ve all experienced a situation like this: A band comes to town and you can’t wait to see them. Up until the day of the concert their greatest hits are playing in your head. Yet as the lights go down and the band begins to play their first song, you suddenly realize you have no idea what they’re playing. Then it dawns on you that you know only one or two of the group’s songs, and everything else doesn’t sounds like it at all! Such was the case for most people attending the Blues Traveler show.

In light of the recent tragedies, Popper opened the show with a harmonica solo of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Yet Hendrix it wasn’t. The combination of Popper completely overplaying the notes and bad microphone feedback had most of the crowd scratching their heads unless they caught a familiar note here or there.

What then followed were a series of long jamming sessions that were a continuous feed of songs ranging from their self-titled debut album up through Bridge. While they filled the air with highly catchy riffs and bluesy rhythms, it was clear that the majority of the audience wasn’t feeling it.

The acoustics of Wait Chapel caused most of Popper’s lyrics to blend inaudibly with the music, leaving the crowd disconnected. They slightly perked up when “Carolina Blues” began to play, but it wasn’t enough to keep the audience truly interested, and many left early into the two-hour set.

Yet those who stayed around were given a few special treats. The band did eventually get around to their big hits, and the remaining crowd sang along loudly with both “Run-Around” and “Hook,” which closed off the show with a flourish. Also inserted into the set was a surprising cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” which, with Popper’s harmonica being the star, ranks near the original artist’s version.

Yet truly the highlight of the show was the encore, where Blues Traveler covered Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry.” The opening chords of the song were enough to drive the crowd into the front few rows and the aisles to chant along with Popper in the most powerful moment of the evening.

Unfortunately, the encore was not worth the price of admission for most people. While Blues Traveler continues to pump out great, quality music, and will continue to for years to come, it didn’t settle well with the audience. In this age of two-minute pop songs, boy bands and Britney Spears, maybe it’s better for Blues Traveler to stay off the mainstream radar.