Temple Theatre in Rochester has hosted countless events over its 90+ year history, and on December 16, Samantha Fish notched her name in the archives, as she brought the ‘Shake Em Down’ tour to the acclaimed venue.
With doors opening around six o’clock, music enthusiasts were lining up on Liberty Pole Way, eager to get their blues fix on a frigid December evening. For many, they had no idea what awaited them, with Jon Spencer and Cedric Burnside setting the tone for the night.
Skewing more punk than blues, Jon Spencer hit the stage right at 7 p.m., unleashing a feral set as the open-floor theatre filled. Fusing Mississippi Hill Blues with snarling garage-punk, Spencer, alongside Macky Bowman on drums and Kendall Ward on bass, quickly pushed the growing crowd into a frenzy that wouldn’t let up for the next few hours.
Following up the ‘blues with a twist’ set, Cedric Burnside took over the stage and calmly maintained the frenzy that had been established. With music in his DNA, Burnside belted out 40 minutes of classic blues sounds with his electric guitar, including his rendition of his grandfather, R.L. Burnside’s “Poor Black Maddie”. Accompanying him on stage were Joe Eagle on drums and Kody Harrell on bass.
With the tone set, and energy level heightened, fans patiently awaited the star of the night. Running about 20 minutes behind schedule, Fish and company strolled out on stage around 9:20. Wearing black leather pants and matching top, Fish enters from a side door, takes a deep breath and confidently head to center stage. Joining her were Jamie Douglass on drums, Mickey Flynn on keys, Ron Johnson on bass…