A night of old favorites combined with some new material and a few surprises are what’s in store for those attending Boz Scaggs’ July 25th concert at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center.
While Scaggs’ name is on the marquee, the concert draws heavily upon a band of musicians who enjoy playing together and have built a strong presence together over the years.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of the musicians I’m working with to what I’m doing now,” said Scaggs, a Grammy award winning songwriter and guitarist. “Several of them are really dynamic soloists. I try to feature them. I’m working with the finest examples of each instrument that is in America.”
Like most musicians, Scaggs hasn’t toured a lot since 2020.
He had a six-week tour in the fall of 2021 and hopped back on the road in the late spring where he spent six weeks on the road. The area visit is one of the first back after a three-week break.
The pandemic wasn’t exactly what some might have called a productive time.
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“I did a lot and not much, not much production in terms of writing new material, but I probably sat alone playing my guitar and singing more than I had done in years,” he said.
That’s a direction he could see future concerts headed but not quite yet.
The 78-year-old performer started his career with Steve Miller and played in the Steve Miller Band. He calls the 1970s his “star period” when songs like “Lowdown” and “Lido Shuffle” from his 1976 “Silk Degrees” album were first released. That album received a Grammy nomination for album of the year and “Lowdown” won a Grammy for best rhythm and blues’ song while also receiving a nomination for best R&B vocal performance.
His most recent Grammy nomination came in 2018 for “Out of the Blues” for best contemporary blues album.
Scaggs plays the guitar, but he considers his voice his instrument. And he’s worked on his voice through an ongoing project of rediscovering some of the standards from the 1930s and 1940s.
“It’s challenging. I love interacting with those songs. It’s a great feeling to be in that harmonic world and to explore the different ways of approaching those songs.”
Scaggs said he’s ready for a great performance Monday night, and he’s grateful for the chance to be in front of a live audience and to be touring again.
“I missed being with musicians; I missed the audiences; I missed the whole routine. I like being on the road. It’s a special time for me. Mostly, I missed interacting with the musicians on stage and with the audience.”
Scaggs’ Out of the Blues Tour 2020 show will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $55 to $120 and are available at ticketmaster.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
