Albino needs no slack

It would be entirely understandable if headliner Jeremie Albino and opener Benjamin Dakota Rogers would have been accorded a modicum of slack by the 200 or so faithful supporters.

It was opening night of Albino's tour after all. Meaning he had not played a show since October (although of course, he and his three band mates did practice). As for Rogers, the time lag went back much further – August.

Not to mention that Rogers had never toured with a full band before.

And in the case of Albino at least, that also meant he was playing a lot of new material live for the first time following the release of his album, "Our Time in the Sun," on Nov. 1, 2024 on Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound label.

So lots of caveats on this night. However, make no mistake. Both Rogers and Albino were ready from the get go as the two Canadians hit the ground running.

Rogers stung right out of the gate with the haunting "War Cry" with his piercing, urgent vocals about losing the battle to the death.

Rogers hails from the Charles Wesley Godwin school of country with an emphasis on the sometimes gritty vocals, which have a lot of feeling with a few dips and curves along the way (the upbeat, acoustic-driven "Maggie" and "Engine Fire").

Rogers' band followed his lead with the guitarist feeling his way. Now, he required slack – this was his first time playing live with Rogers. He did just fine, but one suspects that his role will grow stronger over time.

Rogers, decked out in a fedora (hiding his bald head) and beard, was a commanding presence that made you want to listen. Songs like the fratricide murder song, "John Came Home," tend to do that. This was a most rewarding 45 minutes.

Like the opener, Albino was ready from the start with "Baby Ain't It Cold Outside." (actually, rather fitting given that this was New England in January and cold outside, but the music from these two guys was on the white hot side). Mainly a rootsy rocker type with some odes to country and soulful sounds, Albino's gritty vocals served him well. He sang with authenticity and emotion.

He didn't do a lot of talking for awhile anyway, but he didn't need to as he set the table with songs like "Struggling With The Bottle" and the upbeat "Rolling Down the 405." While the songs tended to fall within the roots rock end, they diverged enough to maintain interest.

But Albino also smartly changed it up a lot with a three-song acoustic set where he and two bandmates gathered around a single mic with the soulful "Hold Me Tight," "The Cabin" and "Shipwreck" (the latter was about a person's state of being down and out with Albino entirely solo). The three-part harmonies were spot on from bassist Tally Ferraro and guitarist Ian Bain. It was clear that Albino knew something about composing a song that translates well live. On "The Cabin," Ferraro and Bain stayed in the background for a long stretch before swooping in to help out.

There was a lot to like about Albino's band. Bain had a lot of muscular leads that accented, but never overpowered the songs. Albino had a few tasty licks himself. The rhythm section of Ferraro and Justin Ruppel on drums were in lock step as well. Tremendous kudos are due to the band for doing so on the first show of the tour and first one in months.

Albino clearly liked his band also as he would sometimes crouch right by Bain, admiring his work.

The full band returned for the powerful "Amelia" and "Dinner Bell." Calling it a night after encoring with "Trouble," the taut set went by fast.

It was suggested to Albino that he call the tour off after one night, considering that one wondered how he could do any better than this. He said he will soldier on. After a night like this, do not give him any slack.