Salgado wows crowd at concert series finale

An enthusiastic sold-out audience greeted Curtis Salgado and his band last Sunday evening at the final concert of the "Live at the Ranch" Summer Concert Series.

The veteran blues and soul man was in command from the beginning of the show until the very end.

Salgado played songs from throughout his 30-year career, from his first release to his most recent CD "Clean Getaway." Backed by his crack touring band, Salgado played for nearly two hours with a two-song encore that still had the crowd wanting more.

Salgado, who survived a bout with liver cancer several years ago, was reflective, yet showed the sense of humor one needs to survive with cancer. "You know," he said, "if it wasn't for cancer I wouldn't be playing with these guys. Before I had cancer I couldn't stand these guys, now I love them all!"

Those feelings showed on stage as Salgado and his band showed why he has long been one of the premier singers in the Northwest, if not the nation.

Backing Salgado on lead guitar was longtime Portland blues guitarist Lloyd Jones, who still fronts his own band "The Struggle." Jones was a founding member of the seminal Portland blues band "Brown Sugar," which included the late Paul DeLay and another local Portland guitarist, Jim Mesi.

"Since Paul's passing and with his own illness, Curtis has come out with a renewed energy and passion that show's every night on stage, and it's really great to see," Jones said.

Scott Huntsman, CEO and general manager at Black Butte Ranch, was upbeat about the final show and the series as a whole.

"Curtis Salgado was awesome," Huntsman said. "We had a very enthusiastic crowd that danced the night away. The whole summer series this year has been a great community event and we've had many people come to the concerts who had never been to the Ranch before, so it was nice exposure for us as well."

Asked if the Ranch will host another concert series next year, Huntsman replied, "Yes we will. We haven't determined how many yet, but we are pleased with the success of the shows, and the overwhelmingly positive comments we've received about this year's series."

He added, "It's important to note that I really appreciate all the hard work the staff put into the concerts; it wouldn't have happened without their help."

As the evening grew cooler on Sunday, the music grew hotter. Just one of the many highlights was "Whose Lovin' You" from the "Clean Getaway" CD, a bluesy ballad harmonized with Salgado's longtime bassist Tracy Arrington, the CD's title track, and the humorous but oh-so-true "20 Years Of B.B. King." And as Salgado worked through his set, a once-bundled audience got up off their blankets and out of their chairs; the grassy area in front of the stage became a dance floor for dozens of people.

Executive assistant and concert coordinator Katie Williams commented, "The audience feedback and energy with the band made it a really great night. It was fun to see people of all ages dancing together in front of the stage, just having a great time. The whole series has been fun to plan and be involved with. There are so many talented artists in the Northwest; it will be really hard, yet fun, to plan next year's shows. One thing is for sure; we're sure looking forward already to next year's shows."

Based on the crowd response to not only this show but the three previous shows, it would appear that the community is looking forward to it as well.