Lisa Fischer And Grand Baton At Freight & Salvage

Lisa Fischer And Grand Baton
Freight & Salvage
Berkeley CA
Friday July 28 2023

Acclaimed versatile vocalist and Grammy winner Lisa Fischer (Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones) graced the spacious Freight & Salvage in Berkeley's downtown Arts District for multiple weekend performances. The Minnesota native received superb support from her long standing touring group Grand Baton which was band leader/guitarist JC Maillard, bassist Richie Goods and drummer Thierry Arpino.

Fischer opened with the uplifting "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant to a huge response along with the next song, "It's Only Rock N' Roll." She discussed working with popular music icons the Rolling Stones and Tina Turner. Fischer has a unique ability to seamlessly glide from moving ballads to serious rockers while infusing both genres with her own distinctive voice and style. Doing a pretty good imitation of Tina Turner's voice, Fischer gleefully proclaimed "She used to sing with the Rolling Stones but now she belongs to me!" Fired up by the Stones' hit, Mailard added a verse and responded with "She don't play!" Since Mick Jagger was turning 80 years old, the vocalist enthusiastically provided a hearty "Happy Birthday Mick!" shout out. Fischer mentioned a storm was the seed for the Stones' song "Gimme Shelter." She started it off with a slow introduction while gradually building in intensity. Guitarist Maillard added some solid electric keyboard work. After another solo, bassist Goods was acknowledged for delivering the goods with tremendous applause. Fischer started dancing to the Luther Vandross classic "Never Too Much" written by her dear friend and early employer, which also ended with a standing ovation. Fischer dove into her massive Grammy winning hit "How Can I Ease The Pain" from her recording So Intense (Elektra, 1991). Nearby patrons voiced emotional approval with profuse cheering. She added "I can go home now. You did that. I'm good now!"

She followed up with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and Sting's "Fragile." After another impressively long bass solo, Fischer added "Give it up for Richard Goods" amid yelps and screams from the excited house. The singer took a moment to discuss the next number with the band. They decided on the The Isley Brothers' memorable "For the Love Of You" and the venue was vocalizing and clapping along with her. This one struck home with a fan who announced "I gotta go home and put on some vinyl." Grand Baton laid down a funky bluesy groove for her interpretation of Eric Bibbs' "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down."

During Maillard's solo, Fischer stood behind him taking in the music and later talked to the front row fans. The singer bent her voice in a singular way evident on the Robert Palmer rocker "Addicted To Love." With a slow drum beat introduction, Maillard pulled out all the stops during his solo amid more clapping and prancing around the stage by Fischer. The band went into the robust set closer "Message In A Bottle" by The Police. At the song's raucous conclusion, Fisher and the band left the stage to thunderous applause echoing throughout the hall.

After more continuous clapping and clamoring, she returned to the stage with the full band for the encore "Wild Horses." Her arrangement, accompanied by acoustic bass, made the Stones' staple an enticing airy ballad. Fischer exclaimed "Finally got it together—Can't drive me away!" Comments from first time visitors to the Freight and hearing Lisa Fischer included "Fabulous!" "Awesome!" "I had a good time." and "This was great!" These sentiments summed up the evening with Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton perfectly.