This was a somewhat controversial gig given the higher-than-usual ticket prices. And it was further jinxed by the absence of Flaco Jimanez, the Tex-Mex accordion legend so crucial to much of Cooder’s sound who was forced to cry off due to illness.
But in the end we needn’t have worried. With his woolly hat and trademark colourful shirt, Cooder arrived on stage to a hero’s welcome and proceeded to mesmerise with a stunning performance. From start to finish, this was a masterful showcase of his astounding fretwork and vocal powers. Well-known tracks from his back catalogue like ‘Vigilante Man’, ‘Fool For A Cigarette’ and ‘The Very Thing That Makes You Rich Makes Me Poor’ went down a treat, though a re-worked ‘Down In Hollywood’, from his commercial breakthrough album Bop Till You Drop, was barely recognisable until well into the song.
Nick Lowe, a legend in his own right, stood in on bass for most of the evening and also played a handful of numbers, the highlight being a truly stunning version of his old standard, ‘(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?’. Paddy Maloney (who Cooder joked had been gigging in a nearby Temple Bar pub) arrived onstage to add his playful tin whistle on a couple of numbers from Cooder’s last but one album, My Name Is Buddy.
The slimmed-down band was superb with Cooder’s son Joachim on drums and two female singers adding to the enjoyment of the evening – they took the lead vocals on the irresistibly catchy ‘Chinito Chinito’ from the Chavez Ravine album.
The only negative was the fact that it all seemed to end way too early with lengthy encore demands going unanswered.