He spent three decades toiling on the blues scene before hitting big with mainstream rock music audiences, so it’s understandable, if disappointing, that Buddy Guy doesn’t take chances with his success.
Performing before a capacity hometown crowd at the Aragon Ballroom Saturday night, Guy filled a workmanlike set with too-familiar songs, audience sing-alongs, flashy solos, guest stars, and other reliable crowd-pleasing tactics.
Guy almost ignored the songs from his solid new record, “Heavy Love.” Instead, he trotted out so many warhorses he could have invaded Wisconsin, opening with “Got My Mojo Working” and proceeding through such staples as “Someone Else is Steppin’ In” and John Hiatt’s “Feels Like Rain.”
When Guy finally did delve into his new record, it was to reprise “Midnight Train,” his duet with teen guitar sensation Jonny Lang. Characteristic of the evening’s emphasis on flash over depth, the pair turned the song into an extended guitar jam that sounded more like a traffic jam, what with all the squealing, scraping sounds they produced.
High-octane solos are Guy’s stock in trade, of course, but too often they overwhelmed his songs. His signature tune, “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues,” found him wandering the moat between the stage and the adoring crowd far after his long, screaming guitar lines had lost their punch. While his fine backing quartet filled the songs with slinky grooves and shifted gears in an instant, the frequent solos by Guy’s keyboard player and second guitarist bogged down the music.
Throughout the performance, though, there were reminders of how fine a musician Guy can be. An underrated singer, his cries, murmurs and quavers imbued “Five Long Years” with pure passion and his juicy rhythm guitar fills were every bit as satisfying as his louder moments strained to be.
Suffering from throat problems, the 17-year-old Lang left the vocals to his band members during his own performance, eliminating the irony of Lang singing about experiences he’s too young to have had. As a showman, though, Lang already is a natural.
Lang’s chops are unquestionable, but his playing was all frenzied, hormone-fueled outbursts, long on release and short on melodic development.
Boston newcomer Susan Tedeschi wore a little black dress suited for a swank cocktail party and sang blustery vocals that would have fit in at a biker bar during her opening set. Tedeschi’s reversal of the blues mama stereotype was potentially intriguing, but her Janis Joplin-indebted hollering often verged on parody.
Her ringing guitar solos, on the other hand, were succinct and sharp, and on the subdued title track of her debut “Just Won’t Burn,” Tedeschi’s singing approached Bonnie Raitt’s dusky soulfulness.
