The Last Band
photo by Mark A. Herndon
The world tour of Roger Alan Wade and the Last Band continued this past Saturday night at Puckett’s, following stops at Underdogs on Missionary Ridge and Mayo’s in Brainerd over the past couple of months. This was my first visit to see music at Puckett’s, located in the former location of TGI Fridays, next to the Aquarium.
The world tour also continued its sold-out status, as Puckett’s had a full house on Saturday. We arrived at 8 p.m. for the 9 p.m. show, in time to try some of Puckett’s fine food offerings. I got the Fried Chicken dinner and it was very good. It came with two sides and the service was very good, as well. My server kept my drink full and was attentive, but not overbearing.
Puckett’s has a stage in place, along with a PA and soundman. There is a cover charge on Saturday’s, but not on the other days that feature live music. There isn’t a dance floor, as it seems Puckett’s is more like a “listening room” than a dance hall. In a way, I like that, as the likelihood of hearing Mustang Sally and Brickhouse is significantly reduced. It would seem an excellent location for singer/songwriter types, jazz groups, blues groups, and such.
Puckett’s offers free valet parking, right in the front of the restaurant on Market Street. That is very convenient, although when you drive a fancy Prius, as do I, one has to worry about whether the valet parkers are taking the beast for a joy ride while the diners enjoy their meal. (The Prius is a chick magnet, as well, so the valet guys could also improve their odds of companionship for the evening just by pretending it’s theirs.)
For more information on Puckett’s, try clicking on http://puckettsgro.com/chattanooga. I did notice they had one of my favorite meals on special Saturday night – Prime Rib. Puckett’s also serves breakfast, so that is cool, as well.
The entertainment for the night was stellar. The always entertaining Roger Alan Wade and the Last Band played non-stop for two hours. Karen Phillips and Jerry Haskew made guest appearances with the band. Karen may have found her calling as an outlaw country singer. Her agent, Gary “Doctor B” Haskew was in attendance and he was all smiles, possibly from the University of Alabama’s victory, but more than likely from Karen’s great performance.
In my humble opinion, Roger Alan Wade is one of the finest performers in Chattanooga. Ever. Accompanied by the very talented Bob Stagner on drums and Neal Nichols on bass, Roger captivates an audience from the very first song of the set. He plays his insightful ballads, as well as his fun songs. He is enough of a pro to leave out a few of his spicier songs and lyrics to best fit his audience.
A couple of songs into the set, Roger had the entire crowd singing along with him. I have no idea how big Roger’s repertoire is, but I would bet it is in the many hundreds of songs. He does a couple cover songs, but the majority are his own creations. As the night went on, one could tell Roger was really enjoying the audience and their pleasure with the performance. For more information on Chattanooga Music Hall of Fame member Roger Alan Wade, just click https://www.facebook.com/RogerAlanWadeMusic.
One more thing…Puckett’s and Roger Alan Wade combined for a musical set, by a local musician, with a $12 cover charge per person. It sold out. That is a good thing and goes to show that with the right combination of quality entertainment, food, and service, all things are possible.
Bob Payne is the entertainment editor for the Chattanoogan.com and talent/production assistant at Friends Of The Festival. Email Bob Payne at davrik@aol.com or www.facebook.com/davrik2000.