Give a guitar to Tommy Emmanuel, and he’ll have you wrapped around his finger in
no time. Being the performer he is, Emmanuel used everything from percussion to dancing to keep his audience entertained at his concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on the evening of February 11.

To open, Emmanuel’s musical partners Frank Vignola and Vinnie Raniolo played a set of songs. Despite the audience’s excitement to hear the main act of the evening, these two Italian guitarists served as a wonderful opening.

When Emmanuel did finally appear onstage, the audience greeted him with hooting and hollering before he even started playing. The savvy musician calmed the crowd with a medley of “Windy and Warm” and “Classical Gas.”

Emmanuel continued with a large variety of songs, from love ballads and tunes like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to fast-paced songs that make you wonder how he can move his hands so fast. One of his most moving songs was original composition “Lewis and Clark” based on the journeys of the historical explorers, Lewis and Clark, and the love he has for this country.

Of course, every performer has a signature move or song, and Emmanuel’s is his ability to use his “wooden box,” as a drum. Though his guitar looks beaten up and about to fall apart, Emmanuel makes his solo performances seem as if a whole band is playing with him. He creates so many different sounds on his guitar, sometimes playing whole songs without even once strumming it.

“It’s all in the name of entertainment. I would do anything to keep you entertained,” he said after a particularly spirited performance.

His performance does nothing to refute that statement, as he keeps the audience wanting more every time he finishes a song. Emmanuel exudes so much joy while playing his guitar that the audience has no choice but to feel the same way.

The atmosphere of the concert even gave way to birthday songs and wedding bells. He celebrated on stage the birthday of 83-year-old Jackie, sitting in the audience by singing for her. Emmanuel also gave Jonathan a chance to propose to his girlfriend, April during the show, after playing a love ballad he wrote for his ex-wife, Since We Met.

Emmanuel’s stage presence and ability to draw his audience into his songs creates a lasting impression on each audience member. But most of all, the use of his guitar, or “weapon of mass construction,” as he calls it, gives the audience so much more than they bargained for.