Review: Bonnie Raitt at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

For someone who feels like a true American original, Bonnie Raitt sure plays a lot of covers.

But like Three Dog Night and other gifted creatives known for putting their own spins on preexisting numbers, she’s made so many other songwriters’ works so distinctly her own that, if you didn’t know better — if she didn’t do such a good job paying homage to those artists in her introductions — you’d think they were mostly Raitt originals.

Regardless, the April 23 crowd at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium was so appreciative of Raitt’s talents that it wouldn’t have mattered what she played. (Actually, considering the rapturous love that met the conclusions of “Something to Talk About,” “Angel From Montgomery,” “Nick of Time,” and “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” if they’d been omitted, the largely retiree crowd almost certainly would have ripped out their seats and gone outside to flip some cop cars.)

Setting the night’s grateful tone was Brevard-based singer/songwriter Sarah Siskind, who shared memories of opening for Raitt on this very stage in October 2012 when she was six months pregnant with her daughter. Accompanied solely by her acoustic guitars, Siskind shared heartfelt, storytelling-rich tunes, including odes to her children, her heart, and — in the set’s highlight — the mountains she’s called home for the past 10-plus years.

Following a sufficient intermission, Raitt and her tight backing band walked out for a short but satisfying set. Originally slated for just before Thanksgiving, the rescheduled show saw the headliner make multiple mentions of Asheville’s resilience in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene and her fondness for the area’s natural beauty.

Much to the audience’s delight, Raitt showed off her slide guitar skills early and often and received comparably passionate whoops for her handful of jabs at the current presidential administration. Supporting their star, the rock-solid ensemble complemented her in all the right places. And in the numerous instances when lead guitarist Duke Levine and keyboardist Glenn Patscha got to shine, they delivered comparably smooth solos that enhanced the ensemble’s sound without coming close to showboating.

But it was the aforementioned signature (i.e. riot-worthy) songs that defined the evening. Sprinkled early in the set, Raitt’s faithful take on Shirley Eikhard’s “Something to Talk About” remains one of the catchiest songs of the past 40 years, and her shift to keys for “Nick of Time” showed her tremendous abilities beyond the six-string.

Neither hit, however, compared with her two big emotional numbers. Arguably the holder of the definitive cover of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery,” Raitt herself acknowledged that performing the classic was akin to “a religious experience.” And speaking to a similar yet different ache in the heart, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” brought to faithful to their feet in cathartic joy.

With all those bangers on the board, Raitt and her band still left room for charming renditions of Michael McDonald’s “Matters of the Heart” and Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird.” And while she’s been playing it since at least 1995, her rootsy interpretation of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” was an inspired cap on an evening full of inspired moments.

Wayne and Garth would have done the “We’re not worthy” bow multiple times by then — and for good reason. It’s not often that Raitt gets to Asheville, and when she does, proper adulation is warranted.

(Photos by Bryce LaFoon)