Guitar hero Gary Clark Jr.’s tour-opening Fort Worth show highlights evolving musical muse
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Gary Clark Jr. kicked off his latest tour Wednesday night at Will Rogers Auditorium in front of an appreciative, if laid back, audience.
The 24-stop North American tour, which concludes with the Bonnaroo Festival in Tennessee on June 14, is in support of “JPEG Raw,” released on March 22. It’s the Austin guitar slinger’s fourth studio album and first since 2019’s “This Land.” He’ll play 10 European dates in July before resuming the North American tour on July 19 in St. Paul, Minn.
About 2,500 fans mostly filled up the 2,800-seat auditorium, which included a surprisingly wide range of ages and a heartwarming mix of ethnicities.
That is undoubtedly attributable to Clark’s image, which, for one fan, could be the rock guitar virtuoso; for another, the greasy-smooth, blues-based riff-master. Or, for others, the frontman crooner whose voice at times channels Marvin Gaye’s aching falsetto or B.B. King’s anguished howls.
All that was on display during his nearly two-hour set that began with a pulsating rendition of “Maktub,” the opening track on “JPEG Raw.” Of the 14-song set, nine came from his latest release.
Although this was the first night of Clark’s tour, the five-piece band is fresh off opening for the Rolling Stones’ tour-opening show on April 28 at NRG Stadium in Houston. They sounded like they were already two weeks into the tour — tight as a snare drum.
Clark, 40, plays the Majestic Theater in Dallas on Thursday and the Choctaw Grand Theater in Durant, Okla., on Saturday.
The “JPEG Raw” title track showed off Clark’s rhyme-spitting chops and a swinging jazz-fused piano solo from pianist and keyboardist Jon Deas. Clark’s searing guitar contrasted elegantly with the repeated chorus from his background singers during the crescendo of “This Is Who We Are.”
Clark addressed the elephant in the room after a soaring version of “The Healing” from his 2015 release, “The Story of Sonny Boy Slim.”
“I don’t know, what’s the rule here? Do y’all have to stay seated, or what,” Clark asked the mostly sitting audience after his sixth tune of the night. “Because if you want to shake some ass, I’m pretty sure this is the one to do it to.”
The audience stood and roared its approval.
“Let’s get funky one time in Funkytown,” Clark said as the band tore into “Feed the Babies,” which features Clark’s best Prince falsetto singing, a funk-filled keyboard solo from Deas, and an on-point bluesy solo from Clark, all expertly supported by a flawless rhythm section led by drummer JJ Johnson, bassist Elijah Ford, and rhythm guitarist King Zapata. The band was so tight the whole night that it hardly felt like the opening night of their tour. “Feed the Babies,” especially, seemed to surprise even Clark, who gave a shoutout of respect to his band at the song’s conclusion.
“To the End of the Earth,” a short ode to a lover, featured only Clark’s Spanish guitar-flavored flourishes and his velvety smooth vocal that conjured Harry Connick Jr.
It is a highlight on the new record and was a highlight live and could easily be expanded into something bigger. Perhaps its power, however, lies in its brevity. It showcases Clark’s underrated — or at least under-celebrated — voice. He seemingly can sing in a myriad of styles and nail them all.
Perhaps a function of the material from “JPEG Raw,” which is primarily mid-tempo blues fusion and jazz-infused R&B-style cuts, some urgency in his guitar work was lacking. That’s probably not something Clark is concerned about, however. He’s following his muse, and his muse is a joyous exploration of the endless colors found in all types of musical inspiration.
Clark opened his three-song encore with a cover of Texas guitar legend Albert Collin’s classic, “If Trouble Was Money.” He introduced the song by saying, “This is in case you forgot where I came from.” We didn’t.
It featured the effortless blues stylings that got Clark noticed nationally more than 15 years ago.
“What About the Children,” the “JPEG Raw” song he co-wrote with legend Stevie Wonder, featured Clark doing a spot-on Wonder vocal like it was a lost track from one of Wonder’s classic early 1970s masterpieces.
For the night’s finale, Clark invited his opening act, Abraham Alexander, a 31-year-old newcomer who immigrated to Fort Worth at age 11, to join him on stage to help sing “Pearl Cadillac” from “This Land.” Clark met Alexander by chance while recording with Leon Bridges in Fort Worth years ago. Clark expressed his dismay to learn that the kid he had met, desperate to make it in the music business, had pulled off the unthinkable. It was another example of the power of music during a night filled with them.
Gary Clark Jr. Setlist, Fort Worth, May 8, 2024
Maktub
Bright Lights
Hyperwave
JPEG Raw
This Is Who We Are
The Healing
Feed the Babies
To the End of the Earth
Alone Together
Funk Witch U
Habits
Encore
If Trouble Was Money (Albert King cover)
What About the Children
Pearl Cadillac
