“How ya been?” Jimmie Vaughan shouted to the faithful packed into the magnificent old mill on this final Saturday night in June. The boisterous full house answered in kind. “It’s good to be back,” said Vaughan.

Judging by the next two hours of music- an encyclopedic blend of Blues, Rock-and-Roll, and American roots- Vaughan and his perfectly seasoned six-piece Tilt-a-Whirl band meant what he said. From the outset, the black-suited ensemble divined the spirits, chasing Vaughan’s own “Hold It/Comin’ & Goin’” opener with a rocking “Roll Roll Roll,” from Luther ‘Guitar Junior’ Johnson- the first of a handful of covers that comprised almost half the set.  There was the simmering blues of Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown’s “Dirty Work at the Crossroads,” that rode in on a burst of horns, then was punctuated with Vaughan’s gut-punching guitar.  Only for the seven to swing back to the ‘50s sock-hop rock of Webb Pierce’s “I Ain’t Never.”

“We’re going to get in trouble.  I can feel it,” said Vaughan, noting the Narrows as among his favorite venues.  Good trouble, it was; whether on a pair from his recent album, Baby, Please Come Home, or as Vaughan’s swampy tremolo nodded to the sweltering blues of Louisiana, the guitar-wielding Texan was channeling the heartache and the hip-shake, equally, with coolly understated command.

He also tipped his proverbial cap to his younger brother- the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan- on “Texas Flood,” popularized by Stevie, and with two from their only collaborative LP, The Vaughan Brothers’ Family Style– with “White Boots” and “DFW”- that bookended a rare show of flash from the otherwise reserved blues tactician.  Stepping into center-stage for “The Crawl,” Vaughan raised his trademark Strat over and behind his head, peeling off scathing licks and delighting the crowd while lighting up the dance number from his Fabulous Thunderbirds tenure.  Then, after another homage to Stevie- a solo turn on the beautifully elegiac “Six Strings Down”- Vaughan returned to the party.

There was the hot rod ode, “Motor Head Baby,” and two jumpers- “Hey Now, Let’s Have Some Fun Tonight” and “Boom-Bapa-Boom”- for the packed house to play along.  Mostly, an upbeat Vaughan was economical between songs, letting his music do the talking as he and his band moved with fluidity across genres, moods, and melodies.  What words are to a haiku poet, notes are to Vaughan’s guitar; each an invaluable vessel of intent, conveying in their sparsity their strength.

The title of bluesman, rightfully, is an earned distinction built over a lifetime.  Just as Vaughan always has been a messenger of this great American art- honoring the legendary originators and practitioners of the form- he more than deserves that iconic standing, himself.  Over a two-hour performance nuanced with joyous movement, cautionary tales, humor, heartbreak, and healing, bluesman Jimmie Vaughan cemented his place as a paragon of American music.