Aggie Theatre, January 23, 2023, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Tim Van Schmidt

Deep blues, hard-as-nails rock, even touches of metal, Samantha Fish’s set at the Aggie Theatre on January 22 had it all. Sure, there were a few slow moments, but only so that Fish could rev things up again. She’s a dynamite vocalist and a take-no-prisoners guitar slinger — a very potent combination.

One-man blues band Eric Johnanson opened the show with some deep blues of his own and was rewarded with a warm reception from the crowd. Johanson also shared the stage with Fish, playing Neil Young’s classic “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”, complete with tandem guitar fireworks.

Fish kicked 2023 off to a rollicking start with a top-notch nightclub experience — on a cold Sunday night no less.