Ronnie B. Goode :
Ronnie Wood with his Wild Five present 'Mad Lad' a tribute to Chuck Berry...
Review by; Mike Blackhart
​
If you'd told me at the start of the year that one of the Rolling Stone's guitarists would be recording a ‘Live Tribute album’ to honour the passing of Chuck Berry with a string of dates to support said release, I'd of put my money on 'Keef'…
The love/hate relationship shared between the two had been well documented. From snubs, to punches, to lit matches allegedly being thrown down open shirts, Richard’s had regularly been on the receiving end of Berry’s wrath, the likely source of which probably stemmed from Berry’s belief that a large part of ‘Keef and Co’s’ success was based on the house that Chuck built… Oh the green eyed monster!
So when it was announced that Ronnie Wood would be helming the 'Mad Lad' project with his ‘Wild Five‘ band, I wondered what sort of response that may have elicited from Mr Richards... maybe a raised eyebrow or two as Ronnie self-anointed himself as Chuck Berry's emissary…
Irrespective of whether ‘Keef’ gave his blessing, opening night is a sold out affair at the O2 Shepherds Bush, on a cold, wet November evening...
The support act comes and goes, with a degree of cheer and fanfare, but three songs into the headline set, Wood's is yet to make an appearance... Pianist/vocalist Ben Waters is belting his way through, 'Brown Eyed Handsome Man', with significant flair, proving that the spirit of Benny Johnson is being kept well and truly alive, whilst the rest of the 'Wild Five' are similarly adept... But where is Ron?
As ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ starts up, what looks like, a JD and Coke, is brought to the centre microphone by a stage hand, and one suspects Mr Wood's arrival is imminent, but it is not to be, as the song ends in rapturous applause as the drummer, ‘Mr Hercules’, showcases his skills... But where is Ron???
Evidently satisfied that the ‘Wild Five’ have proven themselves to be a 'solid band' to his 'punters', Ron finally takes to the stage and opens up with a solo performance of ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’, a sea of phones erupts from the waiting crowd, accompanied by whoops, cheers and holla’s that are rightly befitting the veteran performer...
Having raided Rod Stewart's wardrobe for his stage outfit, you can hear the nervous excitement in Ron’s voice, as the success or failure of the endeavour ultimately rests on his shoulder padded shoulders, as he must of thought to himself... ‘Mick makes it look so easy, it really can't be that hard to do, can it?’ However, singing is not his forte and enthusiasm, more so then talent, will drive the celebration forward… So rest easy Sir Mick, your ‘Vocal Crown’ is secured for another tour and album..
With ‘Axe’s’ aplenty, Wood's cherry Red Gibson ES 335 is swapped out for a Custom Black Beauty Les Paul, which in Ron’s opinion is a, 'Proper Guitar’ and it is at this juncture that a sense of nostalgia fills the room, as he begins to reminisce about playing along to his Chuck Berry LP’s whilst daydreaming about being onstage at the Empire. Fast forward the best part of sixty years and Ron’s execution of those very same licks are, as expected, pin prick sharp and as he chugs’ his way through ‘Little Queenie’, die-hard fans will be aware that this song has shadowed his career, through the Jeff Beck Group to the Faces till his arrival in the Stones in 75'... (tis' a performance that is long over due…)
To inject some panache into the vocals, former ‘Rockabilly Queen’, Imelda May shimmies onto the stage for the 'Wee Wee Hours'. The match is undeniable, as the chemistry between them is electric and with the opening verse of ‘Sweet Little Rock N Roll’ Ms May rips loose with a ‘Rock N Roll’ fury to remind the audience she is a 'star' in her own right...
Allowing for a moment of reflection on Berry’s career, Ron takes to the lap steel guitar for the instrumental 'Mad Lad'. In doing so, Wood reminds us that Berry's Talent ran the gamut of genres from ‘slow blues‘, to ‘boogie woogie’ to ‘rock riffage’ and it was through the foundations laid out by him that set the start for Woods generation of rockers to forge their own paths.
Upon finishing 'Memphis Tennessee', which according to Ron, 'The Faces could never play properly', he announces to the crowd that he has, ‘… invited a mate along for tonight’s show after he met her that afternoon whilst she was out walking her dog'... Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, the one, the only Lulu! Seasonally appropriate, if a bit too early for my taste, she blasts her way through, ‘Run Run Rudolph’, her pipes are still exceptional and the performance is pitch perfect, Imelda May, take note.
Its now got to the point in the evening, where to my ears, every opening riff could potentially launch into the inevitable... but before we get there, Wood reminds us that not all of Berry’s songs were about love, but also, engines, railroads and mad things, and by the time we finish on ‘Johnny B Goode’ , one can definitely say his tribute has been a lean, mean love letter to a man who may well be hailed as the King; a rollicking good time has been had by all!
Taking his bow and exiting stage, left the crowd wait with baited breathe to see if Ron and the ‘Wild Five’ will treat us to a Rolling Stones track as an encore, but it is not to be, the house lights come on and that is your lock, stock and two smoking barrels worth, Chuck wouldn’t of wanted it any other way!