Ronnie Wood and Mick Taylor @ The Troubadour, Earls Court – October 30th 2013

How many times have you fantasised about seeing The Rolling Stones in a tiny club? At this legendary basement venue Ronnie Wood and Mick Taylor played to seventy friends and family, who sat around small tables like a wedding reception. The gig was a warm-up for the BluesFest Jimmy Reed tribute taking place at the Royal Albert Hall two days later. A five-piece band featured Dave Green on acoustic bass and Ian Jennings on electric bass plus Dexter Hercules on drums. Over an hour-long set they played a dozen numbers written by or associated with Jimmy Reed with the highlights  being Bright Lights Big City, Shame Shame Shame, Big Boss Man, I Ain’t Got You, Honest I Do and Baby What You Want Me To Do.  Ronnie took lead vocals and played a lot of harmonica which freed Mick Taylor to solo extensively. Here were musicians playing for themselves with nothing to prove other than the love of the music with which they grew up. The relaxed vibe, intimate setting and immaculate music made for a truly special evening.