Cathy Richardson Band A Concert Review	June 18, 1998 House of Blues Chicago, IL A Review by The Dude on the Right

It was about a week before I was supposed to go to the show when I heard an add for the Heart concert, and much to the pleasure of my ears I heard something like "with special guest the Cathy Richardson Band." I thought to myself, "Bonus, I haven't seen them in a while - I wonder if they are still as cool as I remember them." All I know is I can't let another two years go by before seeing them again.

Cathy and the band came on stage, and well, for no better way to put it, Cathy was as giddy as a schoolgirl. She was grinning ear to ear, and put her elation this way: "I was in back talking to Ann Wilson… What did you do today?" Seems Cathy is like the fan of all fans of Ann Wilson, and opening up for Heart, even without Nancy, was a dream come true. And through this elation Cathy sang, and from the opening to close of their set, I remembered just how much fun it is to see the CRB live, and got home and dropped in their CD's, and kicked myself in the butt some more for not seeing them sooner, and will continue to kick myself in the butt until I find their new CD, "Snake Camp."

In any case, CRB only had an hour to take a packed house of people, most who had no clue who CRB was, and get them primed for Ann Wilson. I'd say the getting the crowd primed task took about 5 minutes, with 55 bonus minutes of songs covering all three of CRB's CD's, as well as a great square-dancin' sounding cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," and a sing-a-long cover of Rufus' "Tell Me Something Good," complete with rap intermingling. My memories of why I always like CRB quickly came back as I started singing along to the songs I knew, and putting on my top priority list to find that new CD.

Throughout the hour Cathy couldn't stop talking about how great it was to be opening for Ann Wilson, about how cool it was to just be using the same microphone stand, and how she was standing in the same place Ann would be standing. This may sound like playing to the crowd, but it wasn't this night - As Cathy and the band played on, you could hear the excitement in every song, and as the crowd gave one of the strongest applause's for an opening band I have heard in a while, you could get the idea that if Cathy were to be struck down by lightning at that moment she wouldn't care, because she could die saying she opened up for Ann Wilson of Heart.

I know I didn't say much about Cathy's singing (I don't know if it has ever sounded better), the playing (the band kicked ass above and beyond what I remember), or the songs that were played (they still hit all the emotion levels), but all I do know is that after the curtain closed I almost forgot I was actually there to cover Heart featuring Ann Wilson. I was ready to go home because my concert going experience had already been complete.

But, I stayed, and as those same interesting fates of the world would have it, I even got to meet Cathy. Someone introduced me being from Entertainment Ave!, she got this grin on her face and said something like "You're not the Dude on the Right?" I nodded that I was. Now my cover is blown.

Oh well, time to get a new disguise, but, once again, I was duly impressed by CRB, and can promise that it won't take me two years to see them again, and I'm on my way to the record store now to try to find that new CD. It's TWO HUGEMOUNGOUS, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THEM AGAIN THUMBS UP for the Cathy Richardson Band.

That's it for this one, I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!