Music lovers at Kennedy Plaza on the Atlantic City Boardwalk this Wednesday, August 28, 2024 evening are ready to kick out the jams for a free Mardi Gras AC concert by blues-rock guitar phenom Samantha Fish.
Fish, 35, is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Kansas City who has been recognized for her exceptional talent by such legendary guitarists as Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and Slash. This summer, The Rolling Stones invited her to perform as a guest artist on their 2024 Hackney Diamonds Tour.
At the Kennedy Plaza stage, Mardi Gras AC concert producer Carmen Marotta welcomes the crowd and introduces tonight’s opening act, The Nighthawks, featuring Zach Sweeney on guitar, Mark Wenner on harmonica/vocals, Mark Stutso on drums, and Paul Pisciotta on bass.
The Washington, DC group performs a selection of roadhouse tunes including Z.Z. Hill’s “Shade Tree Mechanic,” a bluesy shuffle which has Mark Wenner singing with feeling, “They say you ain’t had a good tune-up in a long, long while/I’ll give you good service with a smile.”
Wenner’s harmonica wails on the humorous and funky “Gas Station Chicken” where drummer Mark Stutso croons, “When I’m on the road and I’m headin’ South/I need some food to feed my mouth/A gas station chicken, it tastes so great/You can smell it cookin’ from the interstate.”
Another highlight of The Nighthawks’ set is their rendition of “Woke Up This Morning,” the theme song from TV’s The Sopranos. This minor key R&B number features Wenner’s’ funky blues harmonica accompanied by solid rhythm section playing from Sweeney on guitar, Pisciotta on bass, and Stutsko on drums which elicits enthusiastic cheers and applause from the AC crowd.
Following a short intermission, Marotta welcomes “blues-rock diva” Samantha Fish and her band — Mickey Finn on keyboards, Ron Johnson on bass, and Jamie Douglass on drums — to the stage.
Opening with the upbeat MC5 rocker, “Kick Out the Jams,” Fish wails in her edgy and bluesy voice, “Well, I feel pretty good, and I guess that I could/Get crazy now, baby.”
The audience hoots and hollers, and Fish responds, “How are you all doing, Atlantic City?” as she and the band launch into “Wild Heart.”
On this backbeat rocker, Fish demonstrates her extensive vocal range prior to soloing freely and rapidly on her guitar to enthusiastic cheers from the crowd.
Segueing into the country-rocker, “Better Be Lonely,” Fish cries, “I wish I liked you better, but I don’t,” before masterfully soloing at the edge of the stage as concertgoers move to the groove.
Following avid whistles and cheers, Fish responds, “Thank you all so much!” and when an audience member asks her how she’s feeling, Fish replies, “I’m feeling great! I’m at the beach tonight!”
Performing her sultry rocker, “Chills and Fever,” Fish channels Amy Winehouse as she sings, “Chills and fever’s what you give to me,” before demanding, “You’ve got to help me sing it on the boardwalk!” and the audience happily joins in singing.
Music lovers clap to the beat of the bass drum as Fish and Co. fire into “Bulletproof” where Fish sings into an old-fashioned radio mic while accompanying herself on a cigar box guitar. Dancing around as she plays with energy and skill, bassist Ron Johnson lays down the groove as the tempo shifts into double time.
Jamie Douglass beats out time before making his cymbals crash on Fish and Co.’s rendition of the upbeat blues rocker, “Miles to Go.”
Fish cries, “Back before I was a homewrecker/I was a goodie good, good girl” on the slow and funky “Kill or Be Kind,” where Mickey Finn plays a keyboard solo, Fish and Finn duel on their instruments, and Fish spins her slide guitar solo into a bluesy masterpiece, bewitching both her colleagues and the crowd with her musical spell.
On the edgy Southern rocker, “Watch It Die,” Fish’s voice rises above the fray as she features her upper register and nimbly bends her strings while playing harmonics on a dynamic guitar solo.
Concertgoers stand and cheer, and Fish confesses, “It’s been a long time since I’ve played Atlantic City, so I’m just revving myself up for this next one.” Here, she gives it her all on the R&B rocker, “Somebody’s Always Trying,” where Finn plays a swirling organ solo and follows up with a cascading piano solo which is complimented by Fish’s skillful tremolo guitar accompaniment.
The crowd hoots and hollers, and Fish asks, “Are we feeling good?” When the audience responds in the affirmative, Fish exclaims, “That’s what I like to hear!” and segues into the bluesy shuffle, “Poor Black Mattie,” where she expertly plays her slide guitar higher and higher while the crowd stands and cheers.
Moving on to her emotional ballad, “Dream Girl,” Fish cries, “Say I’m your dream girl, drift away with me/We spread our wings and fly as far as we can see,” before fervently rendering a distorted guitar solo.
Wrapping up her set with the powerful blues rocker, “Black Wind Howlin’,” Fish has the crowd cheering for her bluesy vocal and fancy guitar picking before they respond with a standing ovation. After introducing her band, Fish declares, “It’s been so good to be here this evening to play for you all! Thank you, goodnight!”
Fish and her collegues leave the stage but soon return for an encore where Fish pours her heart and soul into her roadhouse rocker, “Going Down South.”
Accompanied by her talented bandmates, Fish slays with her guitar skills as music lovers stand and dance before she ends the show with a flourish and takes a well-deserved bow in front of the transfixed Mardi Gras AC crowd.
To learn more about Samantha Fish, please go to samanthafish.com. For information on future free Mardi Gras AC concerts on the Atlantic City Boardwalk please go to tonymart.com.
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