Shuggie Otis

the show got off to a slow start-----first five / six songs were uneven---equipment issues then he almost cancelled the rest of the show and walked off, came back five minutes later and probs resolved and played out of his mind. rough start for someone away from the business to have to deal with opening act gold blood and the associates was outstanding,,,,a must see

one of the worst shows seen in years of concert going. beginning with a not horrible but too loud and totally inappropriate opening act, a DJ and white soul singer. Otis slipped in a few tasty blues licks but mostly it was ill considered rock soul played with the band not together, out of tune and way too loud. one could see the potential for a good act but he would need another band and to not be oblivious as to what he is playing. Disappointing show from someone from whom we expected better. sorry

Shuggie has the chops, but the band could definitely use some more rehearsal time. Seemed to have trouble staying in the pocket. Even so, getting to see this monster on stage was a treat. As for the venue--get your dinner somewhere else! Friendly but incompetent service, horrible/overpriced food.

Shuggie still has the chops, but the band could definitely use some more time in rehearsal. Very uneven performance.

Shuggie Otis has been a favorite of mine since his first albums and work with Al Kooper. I had never had the opportunity to see him live, so after all these years you can bet I was looking forward to this show. The opening act Douglas and The Goodharts was great, high energy, great musicality and a clean rich sound. That's where the show turned. As soon as Shuggie started, it was evident that there were issues with the sound system. There was a constant hum and buzzing distorting the sound. To make matters worse Shuggies microphone was either malfunctioning or not set up correctly. Bottom line is you could barely hear his vocals. Those kinds of issues are annoying but can be overcome by the performer. First, it would have been good to have Shuggie communicate with the audience and acknowledge that there were technical issues. But, not only didn't he do that, other than dedicating the nights performance to BB King, he said very little. Then the part that really sunk the show for me. Shuggie's music has always been clean crisp and uncluttered by fancy effects. Not this night. Between the wah wah, reverb and god knows what other electronics effects he was playing with, the quality of his guitar playing was totally masked. I kept having an image of running up to the stage, and taking all the "boxes" away and having him play a normally amplified guitar to let his talent shine through. I'll admit my expectations were really high, but, by most standards this show wasn't even mediocre.

Shuggie and his band are great, but they were fighting the sound guy all night. Constant mic feedbacks, low to sometimes nonexistent vocals and complete disregard of maybe pushing up a fader more when a musician was taking a solo. I seriously kept looking back at the console to see if there was even a person sitting behind it. A dreadful mush of unbalanced sound that really ruined my experience of seeing one of my favorite performers.

Shuggie!! I didn't know much of him until my guy, a music aficionado, played a song of his for me. Words cannot fully describe the experience... the closest thing I can think of is that the show was like a tantric musical orgasm. Funk. Soul. R&B. Blues. All divine, especially the new records.

There were a few technical difficulties at the start; it seemed as if the connections between instruments, mics, and amps were hosed up. But after a few patch cord changes, everything evened out, and the sound was great for the rest of the show. Shuggie had a very tight band who all seemed to be enjoying the hell out of playing. I've been a fan of Shuggie since 1983, when a friend had a vinyl copy of Shuggie's Boogie. We listened to it over and over and wondered why nobody had ever heard of this guy, and what had become of him. (Remember, early 80s...no google-net). With the advent of Google and amazon.com I was able to score CDs of Shuggie's Boogie and Information Inspiration. Can't wait to get the latest release! Venue: Howard Theater is a fantastic venue: very modern, classic lines, looks like an original art deco/speakeasy type of place. Very attentive waitstaff, two huge bars, and resonable prices. Hint: your gratuity is included in your bill. I didn't notice that so I tipped twice, but what the hell, the martinis were awesome.

Shuggie Otis exceeded my expectations. His music is beautiful, and the guitar playing was sublime.

The show was great and the Howard Theater is beautiful. With so many screeching guitar solos though it started to get a bit exhausting to the system. An acoustic show would have been that much better.

Shuggie and his band were great, but $50 for a show that was an hour and a half seems very pricey.

I enjoyed the Shuggie Otis show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Having never seen the previously inactive Otis leave, I had to recalibrate my expectations as he launched in the heavier, chugging funk versions of songs from his popular Freedom Flight in Inspiration Information albums. He also revisited his beginnings with several blues numbers. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show.

highly recommended. Very confident band, Shuggie has a funky vision to share.

I love Shuggie, such an important figure in the history of music. Had an awesome time. Thanks!

Shuggie was amazing, the sound quality in the venue was great, lighting was good. The venue's policies are ridiculous and will spoil your night if you pay any attention to their rules.