Review: Bibb wows his adoring Belfast fans

Eric Bibb, Grand Opera House

By Alf McCreary

Eric Bibb, the hugely popular American folk and blues singer, wowed a capacity audience at the Grand Opera House as part of the Belfast International Festival.

Bibb, son of the late activist and folk singer Leon Bibb, is part the genre's royalty.

Backed by the outstanding trio of percussionist Paul Robinson and guitarists Neville Malcolm and the breathtakingly talented Staffan Astner, Bibb covered the whole gamut of human emotions.

Numbers included Silver Spoon, Along The Way, and the spiritual Hold On.

There was even a four-man instrumental number Dancing With My Wife, and his wife Ulrika duly joined him in a duet.

He finished with I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground, with the first and last verses in a sing-along with the audience, who adored him. Local folk singer Ken Haddock warmed up the audience with a short set culminating in Both Sides Now, but the evening belonged to Bibb.