Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Experimental singer/songwriter/guitarist Dave Mason is forever enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thanks to his co-founding role in the early jam band, Traffic, circa the late 1960s, followed by a solo career that turned out to be quite fruitful to this very day.

He even spent some “Time” in Fleetwood Mac, not to mention joining Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney & Wings, George Harrison and tons of other heavyweights in the studio.

It all translated to a pair of in-demand shows at the sophisticated and acoustically warm City Winery, continuing Tuesday, February 21, for the cheekily-titled “Endangered Species” Tour, where from the earliest notes of “Only You Know And I Know” during the first evening, Mason’s bluesy voice and mighty axe were always on point.

From there, he interwove psychedelic and progressive rock with jazz and folk flavors, turning in such Traffic touchstones as “Rock And Roll Stew,” “Forty Thousand Headmen,” “The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys” and “Dear Mr. Fantasy.”

Mason gave another nod to former collaborators Steve Winwood and Ric Grech, along with Eric Clapton and his fellow Cream mate Ginger Baker, for a gutsy cover of their supergroup Blind Faith’s “Can’t Find My Way Home.”

Moving towards a more acoustic mindset, the headliner’s humongous “We Just Disagree” found many fans singing along, while he soon cracked open the time capsule of 1970’s individual debut, which was just refreshed and re-recorded as “Alone Together, Again.”

That meant “World In Changes,” “Look At You Look At Me” and “Shouldn’t Have Took More Than You Gave,” all of which stretched out with a similarly adventurous attitude of the above, thanks in part to the expertise of four additional musicians.

By then, the wowed City Winery was more than “Feelin’ Alright?” and the man who made it happen obliged with excellence, though it of course gained additional steam from Joe Cocker and countless other prominent artists, whose pictures flashed upon the side screens.

Speaking of remakes, the 90-minute night closed with The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” which featured Mason’s very own acoustic playing on the recording, though he switched to electric on this occasion and more than capably mirrored the lauded late great.

For additional information on Dave Mason, visit DaveMasonMusic.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at City Winery include Dave Mason (Feb. 21); Enter The Haggis (Feb. 22); Chris Knight (Feb. 23); Cocktails + Comedy (Feb. 24); Anders Osborne (Feb. 25); Talib Kweli (Feb. 26); Marqueal Jordan (Feb. 27); Bowen * Young (Feb. 28); Ron Sexsmith (Mar. 1); Eric Benet (Mar. 2); Shannon Fiedler (Mar. 3); Crash Test Dummies (Mar. 4); Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts (Mar. 5); John “Papa” Gros (Mar. 6); Steam Irish Quartet & Gleeson Trio (Mar. 7); Aida Rodriguez (Mar. 8); Ruthie Foster (Mar. 9); Elle Varner (Mar. 10); Sam Bush (Mar. 11); Nemr (Mar. 12); Vanessa Carlton (Mar. 14-15); Rumor Has It – Adele Tribute (Mar. 16); Zach Heckendorf (Mar. 17); Obisoulstar (Mar. 18) and Gilbert O’Sullivan (Mar. 19). For additional details, visit CityWinery.com/Chicago.

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