Bruce Hornsby is back from the Dead and sounding better than ever. The singer and keyboard player who first made a name for himself with the ballad "The Way It Is," recently played a show at Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte to promote his new album "Harbor Lights."
This was the Virginia native's first road trek without his former backing band, the Range, and his first since his celebrated excursion with the Grateful Dead (he played more than 100 shows with the band after the death of keyboardist Brent Mydland.) Over the last three years, Hornsby has also played on more than forty albums with artists including Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, and many others.
The wild, free form show lasted nearly three hours, bouncing from genre to genre-- exploring pop, rock, jazz, blues, and gospel. Backed by a new seven piece band, Hornsby played a good mix of songs from all four of his albums and added almost a dozen audience requests by other artists. The highlight of the concert was covers of the Grateful Dead's "Aiko-Aiko" and "Not Fade Away." More than 100 fans took Hornby's invitation to dance on stage as he played the accordion while standing on top of his piano. The party atmosphere and the band's extended jam solos repeatedly brought the crowd to their feet.
Hornsby maintained the pace with more covers and other popular songs including "The Valley Road," and "Every Little Kiss." Based on his warm rapport with the audience, it's no surprise why Bruce Hornsby is one of the most in-demand keyboard players and a solo artist with tremendous potential for long-term success.
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