Another show worth staying up late for was the return of Wild T and the Spirit, who returned to the Slice  March 13. Paul Kype and Greg Gomola started late with an acoustic set for about 35 people. Wild T  aka Toney Springer and his band, bassist Guenther Kapelle and drummer Murad  Gunduz didn’t waste any time pulling out all the licks, getting up on stage and tearing into “Freedom Train,” then jamming  for two  and a half solid  hours, closing things off at close to  1 a.m. with one of his big hits ”Midnight Blue,”  before being called back for an encore of  a few solo bars of “I’ve Got the Rhythm, ” and a scorching Hendrix style version of “O Canada.”

Wild T proved himself to be master of the Stratocaster tearing up plenty of mind-boggling guitar licks, psychedelic solos and lots of groovy,  funky bass and solid rhythm.

 While hits like “Loveland,” were notably absent from the set list, they played a variety of covers including several huge jams on Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along The Watchtower,” Hey Joe,” as well as some James Brown.

There was also an excellent array of  songs from throughout his 20-odd year career including a hilarious version of “Telephone Freak,” during which he did a shot while playing some of his solo,  and Yvonne,” which I’d never heard before plus newer material like “Life Goes On” and a beautifully soulful version of “I’ll Play the Blues For You,” both from the latest CD “Fender Bender.”

I especially enjoyed one of his songs early in the set called “Boogie man,” which was followed by an extended version of “All Along The Watchtower,” which he dedicated to the hippies in the audience.

He was called back for another encore of the blues rocker “Mean Mama,” before calling it a night.

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