It’s been six months since I first witnessed the amazing talent of this young blues guitar player from Mississippi. Christone Ingram, who’s nickname is “Kingfish”, opened for Vampire Weekend back in September. I walked into the venue with no knowledge of this young musician; however, a friend advised me “not to miss this guy”. I was so glad that I went early to the show because Christone Kingfish Ingram blew me away! (Catch that show review here). Then, Christone made his debut appearance at the 930 Club in November and packed the house. Clearly the word was out – this kid was NOT to be missed! (Catch that review here)
When Harrisburg University Presents announced that Christone Kingfish Ingram would be performing at XL Live in Harrisburg on February 28, I was immediately excited! I already knew we were in for a treat that night. When I arrived just after doors, the venue was already quite full with fans eager to see this blues player extraordinaire.
Opening the show that evening was The Peterson Brothers, a two-piece from Austin, Texas. These young brothers have been making music together since their teens, performing their first show together 10 years ago! Their energy and stage presence is enjoyable to watch and it’s obvious that the two siblings have a great time performing together. Prior to the show, Frank Schofield, the mastermind behind HU Presents, shared that he saw The Peterson Brothers open for Gary Clark Jr. a few months ago. After seeing them perform, he decided to invite them to open the show for Christone. What a great decision that was, because these guys primed the crowd for a great night of blues, funk and American soul!
Christone Kingfish Ingram started promptly at 9 pm and entered the stage following his 3 band-mates. No time was wasted as Christone jumped right into his talented guitar playing. Christone is currently on his Winter/Spring 2020 tour: Fishgrease2! – A Juke Joint Tour continuing to support his Grammy nominated debut album, Kingfish. About a half hour into his set, Christone took to the crowd and meandered to the back and up to the balcony where he performed a stunning 10 minute version of his song, “Outside Of This Town”. XL Live lit up with lights from the ceiling while Christone literally captivated the entire audience in amazement.
In addition, Christone performed songs from his debut album such as “Listen”, “Before I’m Old” “Hard Times” and “Been Here Before”. He also delivered an outstanding cover of Hendrix’s “Catfish Blues”. In the front row, Natasha, a blues lover and fan of Christone, recorded amazing video from the evening that you can enjoy on her YouTube channel, here. I was able to capture about 6 min of “Outside Of This Town” performed on the balcony, which you can view below.
As always, we are so thankful for the folks at XL Live and Frank Schofield of Harrisburg University Presents for bringing us these great musicians! Be sure to check out HU Presents for more amazing shows coming soon!
Those of you local to Baltimore/DC, you’ll have a chance to check out Christone Kingfish Ingram at the Cheseapeake Bay Blues Festival on May 16. For more info on that festival, click here. In the meantime, enjoy photos of both Christone Kingfish Ingram and The Peterson Brothers performing at XL Live on February 28. All photos copyright and courtesy of Shantel Mitchell Breen.
