Freedy Johnson did a set at the Tin Angel in Old City, Philadelphia on the weekend (April 12). New and talented Laura Warshauer opened for him. Seeing Freedy is like seeing and old friend; he joked through early technical and tuning challenges as soundman George Pearson worked his magic. Hoboken New Jersey bassist Jerry Nickerson help keep the beat, and acted a bit like Freedy’s straight man. “I used to be mean on stage sometimes. Used to. But I’m nice now,” and he looked at Nickerson for confirmation. “Right?” And Nickerson smiled a knowing smile and did a bass riff.

Freedy opened with one of his classics, as if to remind us of the rough music business road, “…sold the dirt to feed the band.” He’s been on the road to “Balti” as he says, and variously with his rock band. But tonight it was acoustic guitar and Pearson’s bass. Of late Freedy’s been living in the south. “It’s been kind of slow since I’ve been living in Tennessee. I gotta get out of this town,” he said. “I was in a book store and the lady said, ‘Can I interest you in a book about the war against northern aggression?’ – yeah, I gotta get out of this town.” He said, “but it’s a friendly place. They’ll welcome you, like, ‘Welcome to Tennessee, now open your trunk.’ Well, I do have my herbs for medicinal purposes.”

With close cropped gray hair and still fire in his belly, Freedy moved with energy, and chatted with the full house. “I’ve played here so much that I even know who’s on the walls!” And, indeed, during many songs he seemed to sing to Melissa Manchester or Billy Corrigan (Smashing Pumpkins) depicted in the Tin Angel wall murals. After every song, he wiped the sweat from his head with a towel, “Hey, just ‘cause I’m sweating doesn’t mean I did a crime, officer.”

There’s a new cover album out. It’s good. Freedy did a few of the tunes. And after his “California Thing” he said, “You gotta keep rockin’ – don’t stop. Well, you could stop – but, NO! Don’t stop rockin’!”