The name on everyone's lips first weekend was John Mooney. Quint Davis gave Mooney a hometown hero's welcome-back introduction, Bonnie Raitt and her husband Michael O' Keefe watched from the wings, and Mooney proceeded to put on a searing performance that left fans exhilarated and ultimately drained. With the Bluesiana rhythm section of bassist Jeff Sarli and drummer George Recile interlocked in a rich blues and second-line dialogue, Mooney's guitar work showed his recent hiatus has only renewed his playing vigor. He paid homage to his mentor Son House with a haunting version of "Levee Camp Blues," and cut loose on a number of his trademark over-and-under-the-guitar-neck slide solos.
Still, no one expected the heights Mooney would hit for his encore, when he jumped on top of Sarli's stand-up bass without missing a beat (see photo) and towered above the crowd for one last dazzling solo. After Mooney leaped back down, screamed "Now!" and the band slammed down their last note, he walked off with his arms raised in triumph. It was the kind of moment that words can't describe, but one stunned onlooker summed it up best when he said (at 4:00 p.m.), "That's it. I'm going home. There's nothing else I can possibly see today that can match that."
MOONEY Unmatched
