Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Brings Tour To Fort Lauderdale

Images & Words by: Geoff Clowes

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band :: 08.11.18
Broward Center For The Performing Arts :: Fort Lauderdale, FL

The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band brought their guitar-driven blues rock to the Broward Center in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night. While the weather outside is always steamy on a South Florida evening, it was even steamier inside the theater thanks to Shepherd and his opening act, the Beth Hart Band.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd, eyes closed and in a trance-like state for most of the evening, made his 1961 Fender Stratocaster scream all night long as he ran through hit after hit. The vocals were handled, as always, by fellow Shreveport native Noah Hunt. Mr. Hunt has been the voice behind the band since 1997’s Trouble Is… LP. While most blues or rock fans realize that Hunt carries out the vocal duties, the South Florida audience seemed confused about Shepherd not singing.

Shepherd and Hunt were joined by drummer Chris Layton (a founding member of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble), Tony Franklin on bass and Riley Osbourne on keys. The band was especially tight on this evening, as they ran through a setlist that included an opening “In Too Deep,” the fan-favorite cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “The House Is Rockin’” and a take on B.B. King’s “You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now.” The evening wrapped up with an encore that featured the wildly popular “Blue On Black” and a cover of the Jimi Hendrix rocker “Voodoo Child (Slight Return).”

While it appeared many in the audience didn’t quite appreciate the virtuosic guitar playing of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the house was certainly rockin’ on Saturday night.