Fifty-seven years in, and Asleep at the Wheel has not a single note of rust on them. Leading the band through 90 minutes of high-energy country and western swing Saturday night at the Lobero Theatre, founder Ray Benson proved this legendary group is still at the absolute top of their game. There was no coasting or nostalgia trips here — just serious musicians playing serious music at a seriously high level.
The Lobero was the ideal room for it. One of Santa Barbara's true gems, the intimate 600-seat house offered a sound system that was warm and precise. It was the kind of pristine mix where you could hear every instrument doing its job without anything fighting for space.
Benson remains the anchor and the only original member standing after more than a hundred musicians have cycled through the lineup over the decades. For the gearheads in the audience, Benson’s custom-made Collings guitar — built larger to match his massive frame — produced a tone as pure as mountain spring water and as warm as a mid-summer's night. Every note had a gorgeous, unforced depth that rolled out into the theater like it had always lived there.