Boz Scaggs, a talented and profound American singer-songwriter as well as a guitarist, has been active in the music scene since the 1960s. In addition, he initially gained fame as a guitarist for the Steve Miller Band, contributing to the first two albums of this band – the ‘Children of the Future’ and ‘Sailor’. Nevertheless, Scaggs went on his own and released more than 15 solo studio albums containing rock and roll, R’n’B, jazz, blues, and other music idioms. His biggest hits of all time are ‘Lido Shuffle’, ‘Lowdown’, and ‘Look What You’ve Done to Me’.
Currently, at 78 years old, Boz Scaggs has not retired from touring and continues to enthrall his audience with great vocals and dazzling guitar play. His latest tour has been throughout the United States and Europe. This has mainly been played in small theatres and festivals not in big halls or stadiums. The closeness of the environment has enabled Scaggs to relate well with the audience that has always supported him.
The tour started in the summer of 2022 with a small string of shows on the US West Coast. Scaggs performed in clubs in Las Vegas, Denver, Seattle, Portland, and around the San Francisco Bay Area. In the reviews, some of the things that were said were the great sound quality and how comfortably Scaggs engaged with the audience. The bulk of his songs came from his 1976 album ‘Silk Degrees,’ with blues songs that let him demonstrate his guitar prowess. Performance is interesting when he moves from one type of song to another, from up-tempo rockers such as ‘Lido Shuffle’ and ballads, ‘Harbor Lights’.
Following the West Coast, Scaggs moved on to the East Coast in the fall. He performed in venues such as the Count Basie Center in New Jersey and the Chevalier Theater in Massachusetts. Guest vocalists were also brought on to help in some of the higher parts that have become difficult for Scaggs throughout his career. But he has managed to maintain his falsetto which is well heard in all the slow tunes.
The tour was taken overseas for a series of shows across Europe in early 2023. Scaggs performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Olympia in Paris. Even though the geographical barrier could not dampen their spirits, the Europeans embraced him with open arms. Viewers enjoyed time-honored favorites such as ‘Georgia’ and ‘We’re All Alone’ as they also did newer tunes from albums like ‘Memphis’ and ‘A Fool to Care’.
Returning to the US, Boz Scaggs has a calendar full of tour dates for spring and summer 2023. He is expected to perform at venues within the states of the Midwest, south, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. Some of the venues that he has been performing at in his current tour include the Brown Theater, Louisville Kentucky, Florida Theater, Jacksonville Florida, Durham Performing Arts Center of North Carolina, and the Palace Theater in Albany New York. It can be assumed that the tour will be energetic, and in the course of its performances, Scaggs will perform songs from more than half a century of his work.
Although he stays rather active touring, he also records as well and has not stopped since the release of this particular album. He has intimated that maybe he is coming up with new original songs and maybe even a new album. There might be new content in his show next time when he is in town. Of course, there must be some harmonious bluesy tunes at Boz Scaggs's concert such as ‘Lowdown’ and ‘JoJo’. Scaggs always takes the time to rip through those familiar guitar solos he is famous for as well.
Because he recently celebrated his birthday in 2022 making him 78 years old, many of his fans may question how long can Boz Scaggs continue with his active touring. But his voice remains as silky as ever, and he shows as much vigor on stage as a man half his age. He still luxuriates in the infatuation that comes with pleasing an audience. Whether through his desire or necessity, one can be sure that Boz Scaggs will continue to tour the world, saying it with music as he has been doing for more than half a century now. Make sure to see this superstar vocalist/auteur when he comes to your city on tour. It will be a show that one will never forget, featuring one of the most distinctive voices that originated from America.
