“Have lots to drink and dig deep in your pockets.” This advice from Point Blank’s lead singer John O’Daniel was the theme last night at the “Give ‘Em Shelter” Tsunami Relief Show at House of Blues. The free concert was filled with an eclectic mix of fans, many of them 40-somethings who seemed to be friends of the band. Maybe that’s why the excitement for The Stoneleighs didn’t die out when one of the four guitarists either hit the wrong note or wrong song, like during most of “Like a Rolling Stone.” Regardless of whether the music was off key, Loren White’s lyrics were solid and the entire audience joined in with “how does it feel.” The Stoneleighs definitely had a diverse set up on stage with at least eight members playing an array of over 10 instruments including anything from the harmonica to the trumpet – a solid cover band.
However the Stoneleighs had nothing on Point Blank, the southern rock band from Texas that’s been making music since the band formed in 1974. They brought the energy and the talent last night to the House of Blues as if they were at their first sold out stadium show. O’Daniel first commented on how it’s always good when people come together for a good cause rather than a bad one and then his quiet voice left him and the rock began. The voice that came out of that man was something I would never expect. He could hit a high note and hold it like he had the lungs of a teenager, but just as easy dug deep into that southern rock groan. An amazing vocal range that was only matched by guitarists with a swashbuckling ferocity reminiscent of KISS.
