With the roar of Harley-Davidson motorcycles surrounding him, blues icon Kenny Wayne Shepherd kicked off a weekend of Harley Homecoming festivities at the Harley-Davidson Museum on Thursday night. The array of rocker patches throughout the crowd signaled that bikers had converged from all over the country to be in Milwaukee this weekend. A 90-minute set of roadhouse blues set the tone for the party.
The Harley-Davidson Museum campus felt like a full-fledged rally, with bikes lining up and down 6th Street. Custom bikes were on display, revving their engines and blasting music sporadically throughout the night. Under the cover of the Rockford Fosgate main stage, Shepherd was the life of the party, greeted with cheers before the house lights even turned on. With a guitar on his shoulder and a Harley-Davidson bike on the side of the stage, Shepherd was in his element, showcasing material from his extensive discography spanning over three decades.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Harley-Davidson Museum It didn’t take long for the blues rocker to display his impressive guitar skills. Opener "Was" shook off the rust and loosened up the crowd, while technical solos on "Sweet & Low" and the title track from 2023’s "Dirt On My Diamonds" demonstrated Shepherd's prowess. He showcased this again on a cover of B.B. King’s "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now," the first solo that brought the action around the covered stage to a standstill to admire his technicality as a musician. This happened multiple times throughout the night, with every band member getting a chance to shine.
Flanked by a horn section, organs, and a tight rhythm section that included vocalist Noah Hunt on tambourine at times, Shepherd could sit in the pocket when needed and pick his spots to take the reins as the lead throughout the set. Hunt and Shepherd traded vocal duties, with Hunt often instrument-free, working the crowd. It was clear that any musician on stage had the capability to steal the show, but when they all hit their stride together, it was a world-class blues experience.
The main set closed with an extended jam that incorporated an instrumental take on Pearl Jam’s "Yellow Ledbetter," once again stopping the crowd in their tracks. While a blues purist at heart, Shepherd showed plenty of rock and roll influence, fully embracing that side with the cover while showcasing the band’s capabilities. A quick pause was immediately followed by an encore featuring the hit "Blue On Black," sending a pack of Harleys rolling off into the night.
While the rest of this weekend’s music at Harley Homecoming may cater to a different crowd, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his band fired things up with class on Thursday. It was a set that felt like it could soundtrack the roots of Harley-Davidson as a brand, making it a perfect pick to start the weekend at the Harley-Davidson Museum.