We saw Webb & crew at Awendaw, SC at the Sea Turtle Relief Benefit concert near Charleston, SC last night.

Four groups were on the bill, including Jeff Norwood (straight blues), the Whisperjets (local high school guys), Holy Ghoast (sic) Tent Revival (sort of ska, with a banjo!), and Webb and the Beatnecks.

It was hot enough to melt lead yesterday; the readout in our car was indicating 100 degrees F as we were driving up at 4:30 PM. The venue is interesting- "Awendaw Green"- basically it's the big side yard of a nice old two story house set back in the woods near the SC coast. There's pond and a few barns; the bands were set up at the back of the area on a stage under a tent. It looks like a good place for this kind of event (weather permitting!).

Music started around 5:30 PM and kicked off with Jeff Norwood, who I really enjoyed. The Whisperjets and Holy Ghoast Tent Revival were good and I enjoyed them, but they weren't exactly my cup of tea. A big cloudburst hit around 8 o'clock. A lot of people got wet but most were glad for the relief from the heat.

I got to talk to Tom Comet for a minute at the T-shirt tent before they went on. He was a very personable guy and it was nice to meet him. We picked up some good Webb swag last night including a copy of the new CD, a copy of B Flicks, a couple of new T-shirts and some other stuff.

Webb came on around 8:30 PM. The sound out front was good (it had improved as the night went on) but the mix on stage was evidently pretty bad as Webb complained a couple of times. No matter- it all sounded great and the vocals were amazing as usual. Songs were a mix of previous stuff and stuff off the new album, some of which I hadn't heard. About 9:30 PM, the proprietor announced (for the 2nd time IIRC) that there was a tornado warning for the area; after that Webb broke into an impromptu blues improvisation about the weather. As he said "it just came on me." :-) It drizzled a few times during the Beatnecks' set but fortunately we missed any really bad weather.

My guess is 90% of the crowd had never heard Webb Wilder but I think he made more than a few new fans last night. There were plenty of drunk dancing chicks out front, which I guess is a good sign. Unfortunately they had a mandatory 10 PM cut off time to prevent offending the neighbors, so there was no chance of an encore last night.

It was my third time seeing Webb and the boys live, and they never fail to please. I believe Rick Kurtz was on lead guitar last night and Marshall Richardson (young guy) were on drums. Both were great and did an awesome job. Tom's bass and backing vocals were on the money, and Webb, hell, Webb was WEBB!!!

Thanks again guys- hope to see you back in the Charleston area soon!

Hugh

You should have been at the Grey Eagle the night before!!!!

Threatening rain doesn't dampen mood at Awendaw Green Sea Turtle benefit show

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/jul/02/threatening_rain_doesnt_dampen_mood_at_a87895/?wap

Page includes a photo of Webb and Tom performing

Finally, with rain threatening, it was time for Webb Wilder. Wilder plays his own unique form of retro rock and roll. Folks who frequented the clubs around town in the '90s will probably remember Wilder fondly as the musician made frequent stops in the Holy City. Wilder still plays a mean guitar, and Saturday night he brought a crack backup band he dubbed The Beatnecks. In addition to longtime bassist Tommy Comet, The Beatnecks included drummer Marshall Richardson and guitarist Rick Kurtz, who has a regular gig playing with Delbert McClinton. Wilder and the band served up a generous helping of material from his latest CD, "More Like Me," including songs such as "Too Cool For Love" and "Still Water Runs Deep" as well as older material.

Here's a pre-concert interview with Webb by another Charleston paper:

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/webb-wilder-brings-the-real-stuff/Content?oid=1222312