john mayall back on the road

Yes, John Mayall is back on the road. At 80 years old!
After a dozen gigs this January in the US the tour picks up from February until April with an extensive date sheet in Europe. An unbelievable itinerary for the septuagenarian (oops... sorry that will be an octuagenarian).
In a recent interview -

"People keep saying how impressive it is to go back on the road, but it's old hat for me...
In many ways I feel better equipped to play - as you get older, you hone your craft"
(Uncut Mag)

The blues have obviously been good to the man who has inspired countless musicians over the years and his audience of all ages are still packing out the venues. See his website for all dates.

Here's a rare video of Mayall and the Bluesbreakers on the short lived US TV show 'The Music Scene' first aired in 1970. How this clip survived is rare enough but it's also one of the best videos of The Bluesbreakers post 1969 classic album 'Turning Point'.
"When John Mayall was starting another band after the break-up of the Bluesbreakers in May 1969, he decided to have a band that would play "low volume music" – or music without "heavy lead guitar and drums". (WIKI)
The personnel then was
John Mayall - vocals, harmonica, slide and guitar,
Jon Mark - acoustic guitar,
Steve Thompson - bass,
Johnny Almond - tenor, alto saxophones, flute

Mayall's lyrics have never been afraid of social and political comment like so many of the traditional blues players and with this song 'The Laws Must Change' he mentions the US radical comedian of the times Lenny Bruce.
Here's an excellent point made on the comments of the video from a 'Jane Millerick', she says -

"for anyone who wasn't around then he (Mayall) was referring to a number of laws:
...specifically references Lenny Bruce who was allegedly set up by the LAPD with bad heroin ostensibly for his open criticism of corruption in government and unjust drug and obscenity laws ("How To Talk Dirty And Influence People"). This song had broad relevance then as it does today."

also in replying to a previous comment 'Kingscrib' added

"...making a comment on the civil rights violations which were rampant at the time. Like he (Mayall) says, "the laws should fit the crime'. I'm guessing you weren't alive back then, through the civil rights era of the late 50s through the 70s when things were changing quickly but there were still serious violations of civil liberties. Especially on students who were protesting the Vietnam War and the murders of JFK, RFK & MLK. John was just making comment about the life & times."

Here then is 'The Laws Must Change' from the album 'Turning Point', as bright and relevant today as it was then, with the added rare curiosity of hearing a flute and an harmonica play off one another. Superb stuff,