Gary Clark Jr. is gearing up for the release of his first-ever live album, which is due from Warner Bros. Records on September 23rd. The blistering performances collected on Gary Clark Jr. Live span his gigs at clubs, theatres, arenas, and festivals from the past 18 months of non-stop touring. Each track was captured as purely and spontaneously as it was performed on the night with absolutely no overdubs. Click here for preview of Gary Clark Jr. Live. Beginning today, Sep 16th, The New York Times will stream the album in its entirety. Click here to listen.
There is an inherent magic that occurs when Clark and his band take the stage each night. They do not use set lists, preferring to be guided by the energy that flows from the audience. It is an organic, spontaneous, and almost mystical experience to witness. That magic was on display during Clark’s recent live performances in New York City, which included the band’s first-ever Summer Stage show in Central Park, which was sold-out. For an encore, G. Love joined Clark onstage and accompanied him on the harmonica for a cover of “In the Evening” by Leroy Carr and “Shame Shame Shame” by Jimmy Reed. Before the show, Clark ran into 11-year-old fan, Brandon Niederauer, whom he first met at Crossroads Guitar Festival last year, where he claimed to know all of Clark’s songs and indeed did. He joined Clark onstage for the final song of the night, “Bright Lights” and turned out to be a guitar prodigy, performing Clark’s solo.
The following night, Clark played an impromptu set at the intimate club, The Electric Room, performing for a fashion-week audience of 150. In attendance were Lorde, G. Love, Citizen Cope, John Varvatos, Damien Hurst, Adriana Lima, and Jeremy Piven, who played drums on “Bright Lights.”
Over the past weekend, Clark performed at the annual Farm Aid Food and Music Festival at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre in Raleigh, North Carolina, joining a star-studded line-up that included Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Jack White, and many others. Nelson invited Clark on stage, where he played the remainder of his set. Check out more of Clark’s performance from the night here.
Clark’s remaining tour dates this year as follows:
09/19 Valley Center, CA Harrah’s Rincon – Events Center (headline)
09/20 Monterey, CA Monterey Jazz Festival
09/21 Guerneville, CA Russian River Jazz Festival
11/01 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theater (co-headline w/ Tedeschi Trucks Band)
