It is always a good time when Winnipeg bluesman Big Dave McLean comes to town.
He doubled his audience to about 10 people when he returned to the Slice, March 31. He didn’t mind. He growled his way through an excellent set of traditional blues classics and a few instrumentals and invited a guitarist up from the audience to play rhythm so he could blow some hot harp.
I only caught the last two sets but was impressed. He told a few stories and jokes and schooled the enthusiastic audience on the history of the blues, as per usual.
π Rollin and Tumbling” Hoochie Coochie Man” and a laid back version of “Sweet Home Chicago” were highlights and he got the audience singing along “ You’ve got to Love Somebody.”
He slowed things down with “ Raining In My Heart,” on which his voice dripped with soul and sadness.
He ended the second set with Jimmy Reed and Omar Dyck’s “ Highway.”
Everybody stuck around for his brief second set which he began after a quick break.
He put down his electric national guitar and picked up a steel body National to play some solid slide guitar.
A couple of slower songs including “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” were highlights of the set.
