It has been a few years since I have seen the might Y&T live in concert.  I moved from the Chicago-land area and found a new home outside of Houston.  Since the move, I have not had the chance to attend too many shows, but I’m hoping this year will be different.  I definitely started off 2020 with a great concert by Y&T.  Each and every time I have seen them live, the set list was changed, and this last performance was no different.  They started the show with a couple of tracks from the often overlooked Ten record.  I have not seen “Hard Time” and “Lucy” played live before, so it was treat getting to see some “deep cuts” added to the set list.  Their last release was Facemelter, so I’m glad we got a healthy dose of that record as well.  “On With The Show,” “I Want Your Money,” “I’m Coming Home” along with my favorites off the record “How Long” and “Blind Patriot” were all performed perfectly.  Although the band sticks close to studio versions, they somehow give each of the tracks a little something extra that makes the live version special.

A couple of years back (if my memory serves), the group embarked on a tour where they performed at least one song from each of their releases.  Although we did not get that during this last show, they played songs from all of their records except Struck Down or their two late 90s records Musically Incorrect and Endangered Species.  No one in the crowd seemed to care. Y&T have such a huge catalogue of music that they can be forgiven if they happen to miss one of our favorites.  That being said, the band does play for over two hours, so you never walk out of a Y&T show feeling cheated.  

Other standout moments during the concert were “Winds Of Change,” “Earthshaker” and “Surrender.” While “Winds Of Change” has been performed at every Y&T show I have attended, it is still a great tune, and Dave Meniketti pours his heart and soul into each performance.  Speaking of performances, the whole band puts on a great show.  John Nymann and Mike Vanderhule have been with the band for more than a decade, but they play like they have been there from the beginning.  Newest member Aaron Leigh fits in perfectly.  I still miss seeing Phil Kennemore but Leigh does a great job filling in those big shoes.  As I mentioned earlier, this last Y&T concert started off my year in great fashion, and although I hope to see a lot more shows this year, this one will be hard to beat.