Blues Traveler took the stage at Magic City Music Hall on Saturday, Nov. 18, one member short. Front man John Popper pledged that the show would go on until absent band member Ben Wilson’s wife (who was in labor at the time) gave birth. While the band decided to throw in the towel before the new baby Traveler entered the world the following day, the performance proved to be a noble effort, lasting over two hours and ending in a spirited encore.
The packed house included a mix of dedicated older fans — some sporting John Popper-esqe glittered hats — and college-aged students who were probably in elementary school around the time the band hit it big with Four in 1994, their only album that made a splash in the mainstream music scene. Those who showed up to hear Top 40 hits like “Hook” and “Runaround” may have gotten a different performance than they bargained for. The band opened at 10 p.m. with a rendition of “Carolina Blues” that lasted for about 10 minutes and continued to play well past midnight.
But for those who know Blues Traveler’s sound and style, the performance proved a testament to what keeps this band close to its fans’ hearts 10 years after their last big hit — amazing energy, talent and live performances that blow audience members away. Front man John Popper (harmonica, vocals) manages to wail away at the top of his voice and play the harmonica intermittently (while taking momentary breaks to smoke cigarettes and throw back shots) and never lose control or intensity. Popper’s uncanny lung capacity was enough to keep fans mesmerized for hours. The band’s impressive stamina and ability to improvise kept the audience hanging on for a very long performance which consisted mostly of jamming.
Between sets, the band toasted Johnson City, asking the audience how it felt to live in a town with such a phallic name. But breaks in the performance were infrequent, as the band played on tirelessly. Along with Popper’s promise to play until the baby was born, he reported that Wilson’s wife also made a promise — to keep her cervix dilated for the length of the performance.
Toward midnight when the crowd began to wane, as babysitters inevitably had to be taken home and students had to start the second portion of their night (on State Street), the band revived the dwindling crowd by playing “Runaround” and a super-fast version of “Hook,” the songs that concert-goers had been begging for all night. Popper then transitioned into “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which had a packed house dancing and singing along for the first time all night.
The tour will continue until Jan. 6, ending in California. The Magic City performance was the band’s last stop on the east coast.