Three decades on, Phil Alvin and The Blasters still rock at a fevered pitch, with a that revived songs that put them on the map, and new tunes from
Despite a Phil Alvin remains a rockabilly powerhouse. He still bares his teeth in the , the song that launched the Blasters’ Wednesday set at the Lions Lair.
The crowd ranged from people who first heard the Blasters on the radio singing to fans young enough to be Alvin’s grandchildren. That night, older fans that once held aloft lighters joined the younger fans holding aloft their glowing mobile phones and swaying as the Blasters
Applause erupted when the band played a song that really should be adopted by a savvy political campaign; it makes much more sense as a patriotap rallying cry than Bruce Springsteen’s brilliant but wildly misunderstood “Born in the USA.” “American Music” is loud, fast, and fun and itap meant to be a celebratory anthem, not an ironic one.
Then the Blasters nailed another bad-boy classic. When Alvin sang “I’m The Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised,” the crowd roared. And after that, what song That song galvanized a lot of raucous Saturday nights. The Blasters, like the rest of us, are aging, but boy, is their flame burning bright as we head into the night.
Claire Martin is an A&E reporter at the Denver Post and a new contributor to Reverb.
