Donning his signature Fedora, Seth Walker hit the stage with just himself and his vintage Gibson electric.  Admitting he had “no plan” on what to play, his 85-minute set touched heavily on his latest record, I Hope I Know, but also featured brand new, never-recorded songs, as well as old favorites.  

Things got rolling with “Grab a Hold” from his Sky Still Blue album.  Although he wrote “We Got This” while Covid was raging in 2020, it still holds up as a ray of hope in this post-pandemic uncertainty.  Another appropriate-for-the-times song was “The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be” off his latest record.  

He did sprinkle in a few covers – a soulful reading of Van Morrison’s “Warm Love” (which is also on his latest record), “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” (where he gave a nod to Willie Nelson) and a surprise rendering of Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”  

He did a couple of new songs which were impressive (one mentioned hot and cold), so hopefully we’ll see a new album in the not-so-distant future.  

Aiding his solo performance is the fact that Walker is a fantastic guitar player, elevating these songs with supple fills and gritty solos.  “Fire in the Belly” off of Gotta Get Back stands out here.

He encored with one of his finest compositions, “More Days Like This,” before ending with “High Time.”  It was a high time indeed.

A note about the venue: Natalie’s Grandview in Columbus is a fantastic place to see a show.  They have two stages (Seth played on the more intimate one).  But, their food was amazing as well.  They’re known for their wood-fired pizza and it did not disappoint.  Staff was great, sound was excellent. Overall, a great time.

Soulful, bluesy, funny, and down to earth – Seth Walker was all that and more during his great performance.  Go see him if he comes to your town.  —Tony Peters