By Wayne Baggs

“Kingfish Turned Up the Heat at Massey Hall!”

Massey Hall was the place to be on October 10 for a night of blues, soul and some seriously good guitar playing. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram brought his Hard Road Tour to Toronto, and he gave the crowd plenty to talk about.

Bywater Call opened the show, with Meghan Parnell’s powerful vocals and Dave Barnes’ guitar work getting things off to a good start. The Free Label followed with their blend of funk, soul and R&B, adding a different flavour to the evening before Kingfish took over.

Kingfish is only 27, but he plays like someone who’s spent a lifetime studying the blues. He kicked things up a notch with songs like “Voodoo Charm” and “Bad Like Me,” mixing some seriously heavy guitar playing with slower, soulful moments. The guy can really make that guitar talk, and he doesn’t need to play a million notes to get his point across.

One of the best moments came when Kingfish left the stage and headed into the crowd with his wireless guitar. Playing from the centre aisle with fans gathered around him, he brought the music right to the audience. It was a great moment and one that people won’t soon forget.

Things got even better when Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes from Bywater Call joined him for a blistering version of Freddie King’s “Going Down!” It was a fitting meeting of two acts who clearly know their way around the blues.

All in all, a pretty terrific night at Massey Hall. Three good bands, some outstanding guitar work and a reminder that the blues is still in very good hands.