Jonny Lang traveled back through Nashville a couple of weeks ago, playing a concert at the legendary Ryman Auditorium on 08/30/08. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Lang in concert three times now, and each time has been as good or better than the last.
I was actually surprised to hear that Lang was travelling back through Nashville. My wife and I saw him when he passed through a little over a year ago and since he hasn’t released any new music since then, it was surprising to see his name pop up on the Ryman Web site. What was perhaps more surprising was that the crowd was even larger this time around than the last! I’m glad to see that he continues to draw large crowds.
Another surprise was that when the show started, Lang came out on stage carrying a Les Paul. It was a little odd to see him with a Les Paul given his history of playing thinline Telecasters. I don’t recall him ever playing a Les Paul in the other concerts of his that I’ve been to. Of course, the Tele made an appearance later in the show. And, I thought his Tele sounded better than the Les Paul. While the Les Paul sounded good, the tone of the Tele was great!
As you would expect, he played a lot of his hits, which I always enjoy hearing. His playing was intense and inspired, perhaps even more so than the last time I saw him live. Although he’s a great guitarist, I wouldn’t categorize Lang as a highly technical player, but he always plays with a lot of passion.
I really enjoyed seeing Jonny Lang, and the Ryman is one of my favorite venues here in Nashville. If you get a chance to see either, I highly recommend doing so.