When rock bands change lineups, the drummer is often the first to go, even if drummers are more essential than many fans realize. But for British rock band Foghat, drummer Roger Earl is the one who’s sustained the band for nearly five decades, even as other members have moved on. Two of Earl’s original four bandmates, who formed Foghat in 1971 after leaving the blues-rock bands Savoy Brown and Black Cat Bones, have since passed away, but Foghat continues on as a tribute to their musicianship, and as a live band that can still get a crowd rocking.
Although Foghat’s early work was in a similar blues-rock vein as the members’ previous bands (one of their earliest hits was a version of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You”), the group hit its stride with 1975’s hard-driving rock single “Slow Ride,” which is still by far the best-known Foghat song. It’s appropriate that Earl has kept the band going mainly as a live act, since the highest-selling Foghat album is 1977’s Foghat Live, which features epic versions of both “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and “Slow Ride.” Drummers may not get the respect they deserve, but Earl has more than earned his.
Silverton, 8 p.m. May 19, starting at $30 plus tax and fee. 702.914.8557
