The musical powerhouse is currently on a spring tour
Beth Hart melted the faces off everyone at Warner Theater in Washington DC on Thursday (Apr 17th).
The blues-rocker with powerful pipes opened by coming down the aisle singing Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Right away, she got personal with the audience. Setting up “Suga in my Bowl,” she talked about her addictions and thanked her husband for being by her side since she was 27.
Hart continued to get personal throughout the night. She discussed everything from locking horns with her mother during COVID to her admiration for all her musical influences. The effect was as engrossing as the music itself
In one of the night’s most jaw-dropping moments, Hart, sitting on the floor of the stage, delivered a striking cover of “I Love More Than You’ll Ever Know” by Blood, Sweat & Tears. It earned one of the myriad standing ovations.
A Beth Hart show is a free flowing as she wants it to be. Backed by three 20+-year veterans of her band, Hart apologized to her longtime guitarist, Jon Nichols, for accidentally skipping his solo. To make up for it, she added a slow number that showcased Nichols’ guitar chops.
Beth Harts voice is among the very best in rock music. Her unmistakable vibrato can send a crowd into a tizzy with just a jazzy vocal run. Her voice has dimensions to it that are only heard when she chooses to showcase them. For instance, she let a twang loose on “Swing my Thing Back Around.”
A talented pianist, Hart spent a large portion of the show at her baby grand. “Little Heartbreak Girl” was a highlight that had both piano-only moments and her full band.
It’s nearly a national tragedy that Hart is not more mainstream as an artist. She can take all these teeny-Pop-star-arena-brat-summer-“Z”llenials and blow them out of the water with a single note. But it’s clear she relishes her standing. Unencumbered by a mandatory setlist, she can change it up every night. She can ask her bass player Tom Lilly as he grabs his upright, “we do it a half step, right?”
In short, Beth Hart’s standing as music’s best-kept secret allows for full authenticity in every note she sings. And given that her stage shows are part confessional and part revival, it’s obvious she would not want it any other way.
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