Albert Lee has spent the better part of six decades being the guitarist that other guitarists call when they need the best player in the room — five years in Eric Clapton’s touring band, two years with Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band, twenty years performing alongside the Everly Brothers after helping to reunite them in 1983. British-born, he came up in London’s 1960s rock scene and by the 1970s had become one of the most in-demand session guitarists in Nashville and Los Angeles. Along the way he collected two Grammy Awards, five wins in Guitar Player Magazine’s Best Country Guitarist poll, and a Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award from the UK Americana Awards. His peers call him “Mr. Telecaster.” He is 83 years old and he still tours.
On Sunday, Jan. 10, Lee brings his “Lay It Down” tour to Lovin’ Cup in Rochester, a 250-capacity bar and restaurant that puts you close enough to watch his right hand work.
About the Show
The “Lay It Down” tour supports Lee’s 2024 album of the same name, recorded live at Konk Studios in London in March 2023 and described as a love letter to his biggest musical inspirations. The 11-track set features covers of Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers, and Jimmy Webb alongside one Lee original, “Erin,” which closes the album. It debuted at his 80th birthday concert in London before receiving a wider release in July 2024.
A 2025 live review from Lincoln, England found Lee’s fretwork “fluid and effortless” and noted his playing “belied his 81 years.” He switches between guitar and piano mid-performance and logged a full two-hour set at that show; the closing number “apparently delighted audiences to the point of delirium,” per the reviewer. He’ll be 83 at this Rochester date. The Cryers open the evening at 7 p.m.
Venue & Logistics
Lovin’ Cup is a bar and restaurant music venue on Park Point Drive in Rochester, part of the Finger Lakes region. The room holds 250 with community seating; patrons may be seated with other ticket purchasers at the same table. Doors open at 6 p.m.; the show runs 7–9:30 p.m. The event is all ages.
Tickets
Tickets from $45.50; the ticket page lists $40 in advance and $50 day of show before fees. Buy tickets