John Corbett live

John Corbett
Joe’s, Chicago
Saturday, May 12, 2006

Many of you may have no clue that actor John Corbett has a country record out, and a song, “Good To Go,” that debuted at 48 on the Billboard country chart earlier this spring. Having been a fan since his “Northern Exposure” days, and being somewhat of a newbie country fan, I couldn’t pass up the chance to see this TV & movie star/current Bo Derek beau/country hunk up as close as one could get at Joe’s — which is pretty close.

Corbett has played guitar since high school, and spent his childhood hanging out at his uncle’s bar where many famous country artists appeared. (He also owned The Phoenix music club in Seattle for many years.) But aside from a high school cover band, this is his first official attempt at being a recording and performing artist. After standing patiently through a sufficient-but-forgettable cover band opener, Country Sky Band, the crowd of about 80 percent women screamed liked schoolgirls as he walked onstage. Wearing a red ruffled shirt and black leather vest, and sporting long hair and some serious mutton chops, Corbett seemed unmiffed or just prepared for the reaction; you’d think it was the street outside Hollywood’s Ivy restaurant as the room was awash in camera flashes consistently throughout the first few songs.

The most pleasant non-surprise: Corbett was a natural behind a mic and a guitar and in front of a band — which consists of his longtime friend and rockabilly guitarist Tara Novick (of L.A.’s Voodoo Boys), drummer who looks like one of the Los Lonely Boys and calls himself The Hawk, and equally un-country-looking bassist Louie Ruiz. Sounding more like two parts rockabilly and one part honky tonk rather than your straight-up country, Corbett and gang played a chunk of songs from his record — songs co-written with some of Nashville’s biggest players — along with a couple of Merle Haggard covers.

His onscreen charm seemed to come out during his onstage banter, telling the crowd about his night off-birthday outing on Rush Street downtown, and even telling a funny crotchless panties joke. The strongest songs from his LP were “Wichita,” “Simple Man,” and “Cash,” the very radio-ready tune penned by radio hitmaker John Randall. Corbett seems poised to have a substantive music career to match his TV/movie one.

— Penelope Biver

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly