By I wonder if Bruce Springsteen is ever a little bit jealous of Bonnie Raitt. After all, The Boss — who famously opened for Raitt 50 years ago in Harvard Square, on the night he was — still seems to feel like he has to dominate the stage like a whirling dervish. Whereas his contemporary Bonnie, as she showed at MGM Music Hall Saturday, exudes every bit as much presence and command just standing center stage, baring her heart and soul through the slow burn of her startlingly expressive blues guitar licks.
Granted, the sold-out MGM crowd was clearly full of true believers — a prolonged standing ovation greeted Raitt as she took the stage, smiling beneath her trademark red coif with just a shock of gray. But the poise, warmth, and sheer musicianship of her 17-song set would likely have won over any random visitor who might have wandered in from the Red Sox game next door. (Yes, even a Yankee fan!) Bonnie was clearly tickled at the idea of playing in such close proximity to the fabled ballpark, despite obvious concerns (“I was worried about you all finding a parking space,” she admitted, understandably), and to be in Boston in general: She even shouted out J.
Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf (who was there), and senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren (who weren’t). Plus her band has its own local pedigree, with guitarist Duke Levine hailing from Worcester and bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson having grown up in Somerville. She also, in response to a particularly lo.
