Wolverhampton Evening Mail, Wednesday, June 9, 1999
New Setting Fits The Bill
Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
If a rock concert can be judged by the sheer pleasure of the band in their performance,
last night’s show by
Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings was a stunning success.
The Wolverhampton show was a triumph for real musicians, with the ex-Stone, Georgie
Fame, Gary Brooker
and the rest proving that class acts never grow old.
It’s not that many years ago that Wyman was playing to hundreds of thousands
with the Stones,
but the transition to small venues seating mere hundreds hasn’t done him
any harm.
There were some fabulous reworkings of blues and jazz style standards, greeted
with increasing acclaim
by the audience as the night wore on. The band tore into Mystery Train, the funkiest
version I’ve come across
since Paul Butterfield entranced the crowd at the Band’s famous Last Waltz
concert, while Credence’s Green River was 24-carat gold swamp rock. And there
was even an airing for the little-known Jagger-Richards blues number Melody; the
only prolonged musical nod to the Stones all night. Bill Wyman’s old band
are still rolling strong
judging from Sunday’s Sheffield gig. But their ex-bassman is also doing fine,
with a little help from his friends.
