February 4th, 2022

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John Waite, the legendary singer of The Babys, Bad English and his own solo career, returned to The Kent Stage for a sold-out night of classic rock and roll.

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The spry seventy year old (I know, I can't believe it either) kicked off the show with four acoustic numbers with just his guitarist, Mark Ricciardi on a Les Paul for accompaniment. 

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Those tunes included, "All Along The Watchtower," the Bad English hit "When I See You Smile" and a great version of "Bluebird Cafe."

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Waite was in incredible voice all evening long.  It had been a few years since I have seen him in concert and this was one of the best performances of his that I have ever seen.

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The rest of the band came out to rock on Bad English's "Best of What I Got" and The Babys "Every Time I Think Of You."

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Waite told a few stories to the packed Kent Stage crowd.  He mentioned that he lived in Macedonia back in 1972 before forming The Babys and noted that he returned to the house he lived in earlier in the day.  He said to check out his Facebook page to see a photo of him in front of the house.

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His first solo hit, "Change" kicked off back to back songs from The Babys, "Midnight Rendezvous" and "Back On My Feet Again."

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He closed out the show with a soaring rendition of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love."

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John Waite is one of those rare performers who has not lost one step after being in the business over forty-five years.  His band is totally live and so are his vocals.  He totally hit this one out of the park.

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I believe the sold-out audience would agree.

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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