As 70 looms, Dave Mason is still ‘Feelin’ Alright’
It’s a little over a week before Dave Mason will take the stage at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, and he’s thinking about what he’ll do before crisply snapping chords.
“I’ll take a nap,†says the 69-year-old singer and songwriter, calling from his home in Carson City, Nev.
Right now, Mason is slated as a special guest of Journey and the Doobie Brothers’ San Francisco Fest 2016, a nationwide tour that launches Thursday at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.
That means 58 shows over nearly four months concluding Aug. 30 for a rocker whose career spans almost 50 years of producing, performing and songwriting. This is not taken for granted by a solo artist who continues performing sold-out shows all over the world.
Mason, a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Traffic, is the creator behind hit singles like “Feelin’ Alright,†and “We Just Disagree.†He’s collaborated with George Harrison, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and other elite musicians. In 2004, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and he has since continued to write and produce new music in his home studio.
He turns 70 on May 10 and will spend the landmark birthday with his niece and nephew in San Diego, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be working.
Mason is in the process of redoing “Alone Together,†a solo album he released 46 years ago. The record, which featured guest musicians like Rita Coolidge and Jim Capaldi, earned acclaim when “Only You Know and I Know†reached No. 42 on the U.S. Billboard charts.
“I was 22 doing that album, and that was music I never liked because when I listen to my voice I realize now that it has matured over the years,†Mason says. “This new recording is so much better. It’s interesting and maybe a whole new generation of kids will enjoy it.â€
He wasn’t always interested in creative endeavors.
Mason, who was born in Worcester, England, initially wanted to become a member of the Royal Air Force, but at age 16 he began to play guitar and sing. At 17, he became a working musician, and the next year, he befriended Capaldi, and the two made a recording. That friendship introduced Mason to Steve Winwood and Chris Wood. The four would form Traffic in 1967.
Mason quit in 1968 and moved to the U.S. but rejoined the group for a handful of songs. Many tracks during his musical career hold special meaning, like “Feelin’ Alright,†which he wrote at age 19 while on vacation in Greece. The song that was released in 1968 and quickly became a hit for Joe Cocker, who had a hit single with it twice. More than 40 cover versions have been recorded.
The song selection process for concerts is an important one, Mason explains, since the chosen numbers will repeat during dozens of shows.
“To get up to do those songs, they have to be fun for us to do,†Mason says. “There are always things people want us to play, but it can’t just be songs, so a lot of the material for me has improvisation. I have a great group of musicians and essentially, we are all working musicians — we do it well. We live to stand up there and be great. The music has to have that authenticity that relates to any age group.â€
Mason has worked with the Doobie Brothers and has done shows with Journey dating to the ‘70s.
He says he’s looking forward to teaming up with the popular American rock bands and putting a musical spin on favorite songs to share with fans.
“I’m ready for the road,†Mason says, listing tour stops in a number of states from California and Washington to Ohio and New York. “Now where are we not headed?â€
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IF YOU GO
What: San Francisco Fest 2016: Journey, The Doobie Brothers and Dave Mason
When: 7 p.m. Thursday May 12
Where: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8808 Irvine Center Drive
Cost: $27 to $142
Information: (949) 855-8095 or visit livenation.com
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Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
