LIVE REVIEW: John Waite, Jeffery Gaines in East Greenwich, RI (11.13.25)
Wednesday night in East Greenwich Rhode Island, John Waite blew the roof off by performing a 90 minute set, spanning his 50 years of music. John, being the legendary lead singer of The Baby’s, Bad English and his own solo career, returned to the Greenwich Odeum for a rockin’ and intimate show, full of crowd engagement.
Opening the evening was solo artist Jeffery Gaines, all the way from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. With the lights dimmed and a quiet moment of silence, Gaines marched onto the stage, just himself and his acoustic guitar.
Without any introduction, Gaines began strumming, full of confidence and soul. His voice, similar to Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, soared through every song of the set, showing raw grit that immediately hooked the crowd. Each lyric was delivered with meaning, purpose and emotion, with themes of love and as he mentioned, songs about “Taking life for granted.”
The 40 minute set was an honest showcase of how one man, a guitar, and musical purity, before the man himself came out.
Dressed in a black suit and pants, John Waite ran onto the stage, immediately kicking into his 1982 single “Change,” with bright red lights shining on him and his legacy. Right away, it was clear to the crowd that John hasn’t lost a beat, even at the age of 70.
As expected, John sang lead vocals on every song, but also played his Blonde telecaster guitar on songs like “Midnight Rendezvous,” Bad English’s “Best of What I Got,” the Baby’s song “Back on My Feet Again,” and many others. With him was bassist Tim Hogan, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Kyle Cook (original member of Matchbox 20), and drummer Alan Childs.
Highlights throughout the night include the songs “Missing You” from his 1984 solo record and “When I See You Smile” from 1989 with Bad English. Both singles hit NUMBER ONE on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, and were classic sing-a-long moments during the show.
In addition, another highlight of the performance was when John mentioned to the audience that the show was being “recorded.” This created plenty of rumors in the audience if they were recording the audio for a future release, or just a social media post. Because of this, Waite stated that they would have to perform “Change” and “Midnight Rendezvous” yet again. As expected, the audience didn’t mind it, and stood up to dance for the final four songs.
Right as the set was coming to a close, John and his band surprised the audience by bringing out Jeffery Gaines back onstage to perform a piece of the Led Zeppelin song “Whole Lotta Love,” and Buddy Guys “Let Me Love You Baby.” Both covers completed the 17 song set perfectly by ending the night off with high voltage.
As John, his band, and Jeffery Gaines gathered at the front of the stage, they took their final bows to a roaring ovation of applause. When John began to throw out setlists, guitar picks and buttons, me and many other fans looked at the stage in pure joy.. reflecting on how great it was to see John Waite enjoying fan engagement.
Thanks to the Greenwich Odeum, their acoustics, and the seating, the evening brought the old timey theater vibe which fit along with everything. This was truly a night to never forget.
