Concert Reviews

Kathy Mattea

Love Travels Tour
San Francisco Warfield (May, 3rd 1997)

Concert Review by Jeff Krasky

Grammy award winning vocalist Kathy Mattea took to the stage at the historic San Francisco Warfield Saturday night. In her near two hour long set, Kathy took us for a ride through her music old and new. The energetic stage presence made by Mattea, had fans wanting her to sing all night.

The “Love Travels” tour, kind of hints at the idea you might here song songs from Kathy's newest Mercury release with the same name and sure enough, her opening tune was a soft groove called “Patiently Waiting.” The first thing you will notice when sitting down to Mattea's show is how strong her voice is, raw power and energy pushed the opening tune along. After completing the song, to the crowds applause Kathy joked “Hey, y'all really need to come out of your shells” and the crowd responded with another loud cheer. This constant interaction with the audience made this a show to remember!

Kathy sang all her major hits like “18 Wheels And A Dozen Roses,” “Nobody's Gonna Rain On Our Parade” and “Walking Away A Winner,” a song given new life with a new arrangement including sound effects. Mattea seemed genuinely interested in the fans, something you don't see everyday. She won over the hearts of everyone in the theater with her sense of humor and personality.

When it came time to sing songs from her new album she joked “Well, I think I am going to make you wait for that one (“455 Rocket”).” The rocking tune “I'm On Your Side” is bound to be a single and received total fan approval. Other new cuts she sang were “Further And Further Away,” “Love Travels” and “Sending Me Angels.” Her album containing these songs are great but are given new life when Kathy brings them on stage.

In the two hours of singing, Kathy never once appeared like she wanted to be somewhere else, she loved playing for the crowd. She does know how to have fun with her music, no doubt about that. After seeing Kathy live, it is safe to say she is one of the best female touring acts. This is definitely a tour you don't want to miss! It is worth the ticket price, and then some!

Kathy Mattea Live Concert Photos