'Legends' Rock Main Street

It is Feb. 27, a Saturday night, and there is a crowd outside of The Colonial Theatre. Above the crowd, the marquee reads “Legends of Rock N Blues with Jim Belushi & Friends.”
It was a night of blues and rock music at the theatre. The James Montgomery Blues Band backed up the ensemble of “Legends.” This included Brad Whitford, guitarist for Aerosmith, Barry Goudreau, former guitarist for the band Boston, Michael Carabello, percussionist for Carlos Santana’s band, David Hull, former background vocalist and bassist of The Joe Perry Project and Johnny A, a guitarist from Hearts on Fire.

The Kan-Tu Blues Band, a band based out of Manchester, N.H., opened up the evening. Sal D’Atri, an alumnus from Keene State College, saw the performance with his wife, Denise. He said he enjoyed The Kan-Tu Blues Band even though he didn’t know who they were. D’Atri thought the evening went generally well. He said the horns, the trumpet, saxophone and trombone, could’ve been better displayed.

“The horns were just getting ready to let loose and all of a sudden they went back to the guitar,” D’Atri said.

After a thirty-minute intermission, a quick flicker of the lights shone and the audience awoke with applause in anticipation of the upcoming act. Montgomery walked on stage calmly and casually found a spot to set down his drink. Then, with a sudden burst of noise, his harmonica exploded with upbeat notes of blues, followed by his guitarist and drummer.
Throughout the next two hours, Montgomery was constantly in motion, whether it was jumping around or just tapping his legs with the beat. Montgomery quickly trademarked a high side-kick to the air.

Denise D’Atri last saw Montgomery about 35 years ago in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass. It was her husband’s birthday and they saw the concert as a way to celebrate.
“I thought it’d be kind of special,” Denise D’Atri said. “It’s a blast from the past,” Sal D’Atri said.

Tania Wright, a volunteer for The Colonial Theatre, said she thought this concert brought back fond memories for much of the audience. “This is from our generation,” Wright said, referring to the late 1960s. “It’s nostalgic; it’s a memory.”

Wright said she was about 18 years old when she listened to this music and it’s strange to see her generation 40 years later. “We all have a little gray hair now and some of us have arthritis,” Wright said. “It’s very surreal.” Montgomery understood his audience well. He knew this was a nostalgic experience for them and used it to his advantage. He joked with them about the olden days and the wild times they had.

“Staying up for twenty-four hours in 1973 was not a hard thing to do,” Montgomery said after one of many anecdotes, followed by crowd applause.

Montgomery also toyed with the audience at the end of his songs, repeatedly cutting off their applause with encores of harmonica outbursts. The band introduced the rock and blues “legends,” saving the best for last. With the stage filled with instruments and performers, Montgomery eventually found himself introducing Jim Belushi and, once more, the crowd erupted with applause. The versatile Jim Belushi of ABC’s “According to Jim” is an actor, comedian and musician. His older brother John Belushi starred in the 1980 hit movies “The Blues Brothers” and “Animal House.”  Belushi has acted in over 50 roles, including performances on “Saturday Night Live” and in “The Little Shop of Horrors.”
Belushi is a big fan of the blues. . “Blues rocks, blues is everything,” Belushi said. “It all started with the blues.”

While Belushi seemed to be among the better known of the “legends” on stage, he seemed to make a point to share attention with the rest of the musicians, bringing the spotlight to each member as they played their respective solos.

Belushi enjoyed sharing the stage with Montgomery. “He’s powerful,” Belushi said. “Boy can he play. He makes me roll over on my back and submit as a harmonica player.”
But this wasn’t a new experience for Belushi. The two said they have jammed  before, as Belushi put it. Montgomery has even joined Belushi in “The Blues Brothers” before.  
At the end of the night, Belushi said he loved coming to Keene as he walked to the local Margaritas. “I’m coming back for the Pumpkin Festival,” Belushi said.

Garrett Beltis can be contacted at gbeltis@keeneequinox.com.