Revamped NRBQ lives up to its rep as great bar band

Terry Adams, left, with his new NRBQ crew at Famous Dave's. From left, Conrad Choucroun, Pete Donnelly and Scott Ligon. (Photo by Tim Campbell)

There were too many appealing choices on Saturday night. And I made the wrong call by heading over to Steve Winwood at the Orpheum. On the second night of his tour, he was heavily into jamming with a bass-less band that simmered rather than cooked. Seeing Winwood forced me to miss the first half-hour of NRBQ at Famous Dave's. But catching the last 90 minutes of their two-hour performance was an unqualified treat.

It's easy to be skeptical and even cynical about a beloved old favorite that features only one original member and a bunch of young guns. But keyboardist/singer Terry Adams has put together a combo that understands the essence of the original Q, which reigned from the mid-1970s to the mid-90s.

A kooky character who has bounced back from throat cancer, Adams, 63, certainly likes to amuse himself — in conversation, lyrics and music. But he managed to bring the full house of baby boomers along with him. His secret weapon was guitarist/singer Scott Ligon, who proved to be versatile handling everything from boogie to ballads.

Adams was so in the moment. At one point, he looked at the paintings of music heroes that decorate the backdrop of Famous Dave's stage. Then he started riffing on each subject: Albert King, T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters (he was tripping at a festival organized by the Grateful Dead). The final portrait was Howlin' Wolf, whom Adams called the greatest bluesman of all time. Then he asked Ligon if he could do some Howlin' Wolf and the guitarist/singer broke into "Down in the Bottom."

For the last hour, there seemed to be more folks up dancing than sitting as the Q tore through "Get Rhythm," "Boozoo and Leona" and "Ain't It All Right," among others.

There was unquestionably joy in the band's playing and they spread it like Famous Dave's rich and sassy sauce on ribs. The joy, spontaneity, diverse repertoire, hot musicianship and infectious energy — that's what a great bar band is all about.