Peter Green & the Splinter Group ~ 2000 September 6 ~ The Roxy ~ Boston, MA
Set List
Heart Of Stone - It Takes Time - Black Magic Woman - I Can't Help Myself - Albatross - Big Change Is Gonna Come - Travelin' Riverside Blues - Steady Rollin' Man - Sweet Home Chicago - Man Of the World - The Green Manalishi - The Stumble - Rattlesnake Shake - Going Down
Concert Review
It was a real treat to see Peter Green, founder of Fleetwood Mac (originally a British blues band), perform at the Roxy on Tremont Street in downtown Boston. John Mayall opened for him and played for about an hour. I enjoyed Mayall's set but didn't find it particularly memorable.
Peter Green and the Splinter Group played about an hour and a half. Peter was dressed in white and wore a snug-fitting hat. He looked comfortable and at ease, but wasn't outgoing at all. The rest of the band treated him as definitely the leader of the band, but he hardly spoke to the audience. The other guitarist, Nigel Watson, and the keyboard player, Roger Cotton, introduced the songs and the band members. Nigel and Peter shared lead guitar duties, I'd say about equally, and Nigel also sang lead on about one third of the songs. He has a stronger singing voice than Peter, whose voice is somewhat whispery -- was it always like this? I got the impression that Peter was approaching the gig in a businesslike, possibly even shy, manner.
The music was great -- an effective mix of new originals written by the Splinter Group, blues classics, and Fleetwood Mac songs from the Peter Green era. Halfway through the show the roadies brought out chairs and Peter and Nigel sat for a little three-song acoustic set of Robert Johnson classics. Then the chairs were whisked away and they stood up again for the rest of the show; the little mini-set was a nice way of breaking up the show.
Of course, the songs I enjoyed hearing the most were the Peter Green '60s tunes -- "Black Magic Woman"; "Albatross" (which Roger introduced, I believe, as the second most played song in the world -- what did he mean by that? -- I know it was a hit in Europe but the second most played song in the world?); an instrumental version of "Man of the World" (which Roger dedicated to the ladies in the audience); "Rattlesnake Shake"; and my favorite of all, "Green Manalishi," which sounded great and all by itself was worth the $25 I paid for the ticket. My career as a live concert goer has certainly reached another high, with the chance to hear the wonderful, eerie "Green Manalishi" performed by the man who wrote it.