October 11, 2009. Less than 24 hours after playing back to back shows at San Diego’s Anthology, Mindi Abair was in Temecula, CA, at Thornton Winery, to perform the national anthem and open for the headlining Jesse Cook. Minus her regular drummer and keyboard player, but very much with the twin talents of Jay Gore on guitar and Andre Berry on bass, Mindi used her well rehearsed ‘unplugged’ format to take a more considered approach to some of her more significant tunes. Into the bargain she delighted a sun soaked crowd already eminently familiar with her work.
A regular feature of Mindi’s live shows is her high octane rendition of the Rolling Stones ‘Miss You’ and here, despite the naturally understated nature of ‘being unplugged’, the song allowed Andre Berry the opportunity to really shine. The format also fitted perfectly with the spellbinding ‘Every Time’ for which Jay Gore produced a typically stunning performance on guitar. Abair’s vocal was equally enchanting and she stayed with her underused and underrated singing voice for the uplifting ‘Save Tonight’ from the 2003 recording ‘It Just Happens That Way’. Later she found time for the title track from that same album and, as hits such as ‘Come As You Are’ and ‘Save The Last Dance’ filled the void of a hot afternoon, her truncated set drew to a handsome conclusion, first with ‘Remember’ and finally ‘The Joint’. Although Mindi ramped up the excitement of this well known number in a way totally indicative of her style, in reality, it was yet another superb guitar solo from Gore that stole the show.
For more on Mindi Abair and information on her abundant tour schedule go to www.mindiabair.com
