8- The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 14, 2005 A ARTS Bonnie Raitt lcrfe ihgnTeter By Andrew Blelak For the Daily Legendary country-blues art- ist Bonnie Raitt has to be one of the warmest, most likeable performers in the industry. Complementing her suc- cessful career with a lifelong devotion to various social causes, Bonnie Raitt has earned the Raitt admiration of fans Tuesday, and fellow musicians Oct. 11 alike for her musical Michigan Theater honesty and activism. But the reason behind the 55-year-old sing- er and guitarist's continued musical relevance is simple: the woman kicks ass. Performing in front of a sold-out crowd at the Michigan Theater on Tuesday night, Raitt, backed by a five- piece band, burned through a 90-min- ute set with the flair and panache of a performer half her age as well as the command of a seasoned veteran. After toiling throughout the '70s and '80s to critical acclaim but rela- tive commercial obscurity, Raitt broke out into mainstream with her poppy 1989 album Nick of Time and its successful follow-up, Luck of the Draw. Having toured for over 30 years now, Raitt sounds equally confident covering the acoustic blues of her early albums and the country-tinged pop-rock of recent years, drawing up several tracks from her 2005 release, Souls Alike. Raitt and her band opened the night with a silky new blues number, "On 6 6 PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily Country musician Bonnie Raitt performed a sold-out show on Tuesday night at the Michigan Theater. One Condition," cutting loose her trademark slide guitar solo over a syn- copated vamp. Seamlessly initiating a warm rapport with the audience, Raitt began her jokes early: "Religion is for those afraid to go hell ... Spirituality is for those of us who have already been there," she mused before launching into the muddy, bayou-inflected "God Was in the Water." Raitt's melodic, liquid guitar solos stood as concise musical statements and contrasted well with the flashier, technical stylings of second guitarist George Marinelli. Of course, the stron- gest and most prevalent instrument was Raitt's voice, a clear and emotive croon that whispered, soared and cracked ever so slightly at all the right moments. After the first half of the set show- cased various new songs, the second portion of the show saw the band dip- ping into older hits, such as "Love Sneakin' Up On You," "Luck of the Draw" and "Something to Talk About." In covering a broad range of mate- rial, Raitt and her group demonstrated their versatility as one their greatest strengths. They comfortably laid down salty 12-bar blues, sultry R&B ballads and bouncy country shuffles. After playing two slow, soulful num- bers, "I Can't Make You Love Me," and "I Don't Want Anything to Change," the band ended the evening with a final blast of upbeat country-rock. Exiting to thunderous applause from a dou- ble-encore set, Raitt demonstrated on Tuesday night that even at 55, she has no intention of slowing down. On the contrary - she seems to be just get- ting started. Newhouse School .... Mastr's Program at 8yracui*Uiaversitys $3. Newhousne Schoo ofubic Cmmnations Advertising Arty Jou rnah5 Ua r cicra~t .,lt rnli~r m l iml ar gtent 9 UMedia StudieN W New, Media 0 Photgahv Public Rel'tiuns 11elevision, Radio & PFiim Information Session in Washington D.C. Sat., Oct. 29 Open House in Syracuse, NY Fri., Nov. 4 Information Session in New York City Sat., Nov. 12 M-e tfaculty, alumni aria current trs students, Discovor w'hy the Newhouse Maswrte r s ora is the nations leader in communication.s-i o1543' 29(r vj,4t Mass( oliso if tgse;Paavri> ze ~r. r I>, 0. What is the law? A weapon to be wielded? Or more than that? A set of tools. A creative approach. A helping profession and collaborative process. Explore the wide scope of the law in a school devoted to the big picture. I