Pat Metheny at the Verizon Theatre, Houston Tx March 5th 2008

 
Pat Metheny:  Guitar,   Antonio Sanchez:  Drums,  Christian McBride:  Bass

    Metheny’s program was spilt into two segments. The first included an acoustic baritone tone guitar where he performed "Make Peace", which was lost in excessive reverb and a towering P.A. system.  I think I would have rather heard the simple natural beauty of the baritone tone guitar without effects and amplification which was entirely too loud and ruined any enjoyment of the tune. I guess "Make Peace" is a protest song; here’s my protest: turn it down please! Next up was a multi-necked Pikasso guitar, which is a doubled neck guitar with various groupings of strings organized copiously around a cubic looking body. The impact of this plectrum bizzaro far out weighed the sonic results which was a bit too New Age-ish for me. In truth, the Pikasoo could probably make a Blakc Flag tune sound like a New Age symphony.  Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I don’t get it. It would have been soooo much better if Pat had just come out and played a normal acoustic guitar with a minimal P.A.

Finally, Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez joined Pat on stage and the sound and fun finally began. They played a host of Metheny standards including “Still Life Talking”, “Question and Answer”, and opened the show with a trio version of his “So May It Secretly Begin”.  Probably more interesting were the new tunes that Metheny wrote for Russian trumpet player, Alex Sipiagin's.  The first was in a Latin influenced mainstream straight ahead vein, "Son of Thirteen,"  and CHOBA (pronounced as "SNO-va"). According to Pat "It's a word that has a very deep meaning in Russian," which translates roughly into: "again, anew, afresh". Choba being more subdued and balladish with a beautiful melody.

Antonio Sanchez, a regular in the Metheny Group,  seen here in the stripped down Metheny trio, was a pillar of stability and masterfully played with the time, always on top the changes. Sanchez executed flawlessly and switches easily between matched and traditional grip.  He is clearly influenced by the great Tony Williams with his amazing speed and use of the single stroke roll around the kit. Hailing from Mexico City, you can hear the pico de gallo and chiles rellenos in his playing, mighty tasty!

Undoubtedly Christian McBride had a great night with the audience rising to their feet in adulation for his superb solos that grooved and sung and sonorously conquered the audience. With out question a great master himself.