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. . . and I like it, love it, yes I do. That about sums up the amazing event I was lucky enough to witness tonight at the Wildhorse. Look, I know it was a Monday night and that might explain why the place was only maybe 1/3 full. But sometimes a lineup is just so good that we rock and roll fanatics (and I know there’s enough of us to fill that place) just need to bite the bullet. And what do you get in return? A night full of not only memories, but spectacular, fantastic, here-in-the-present performances so good you won’t soon forget. This was the place for those of us who lived through this music from some 40 years ago as well as the new generation who seem to be discovering these tunes and artists in ever-increasing numbers. It was also a great place to be for just about everyone in-between too.
I really can’t do justice to how good this show was in this space, because there was just so much good stuff. So I’m going to hit all the highlights as best I can.
The Cowsills opened the evening. Yes, the same band my circle of friends were too sophisticated to acknowledge when they were making all their hits, because they were, for awhile, thrown into the same genre as The Partridge family (actually, they were supposed to be the Partridge Family). But we all knew they were putting out some great tunes with lots of killer harmonies; their strong suit. They of course did their hits, “The Rain, the Park, and Other Things” and “Hair” to perfection. They also did several other 60s era harmony hits, such as tunes by the Mamas and Papas.
Al Jardine then came out, and with The Cowsills as his backing band (and most importantly, backing vocalists) belted out “Help Me Rhonda”, “Barbara Ann”, and “Surfin USA” without losing any of that unmistakable Beach Boys’ spirit. Except for some wrinkles he still looks, amazingly, like a Beach Boy.
Next up were the Lovin’ Spoonful, of course w/o John Sebastian. They have a great catalog, of which they played all the hits. The vocals and the playing were as vital as in the original recordings and the songs are so good the set was extremely enjoyable. Original members Steve Boone and Joe Butler, along with long-time member Jerry Yester are keeping the faith. They were backed by newer members on guitar and drums quite nicely. They did just about everything you’d want to hear; “Do You Believe In Magic”, “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice”, “Daydream”, “Did you Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind”, “Nashville Cats”, and their big one, “Summer In the City”. Their set was pretty long as they played a medley of 60s covers, again with an emphasis on harmony-rich groups. There were lots of smiles everywhere
The Atlanta Rhythm Section started up the edgier portion of the show, which was to become harder and louder as the night wore on. Actually, I’d say they were the perfect bridge from the pop to the rock show. Performing “Spooky” (a Classics IV song, done because 3 members were in that group), and the hits “Imaginary Lover” and “So Into You”, people started dancing to their rhythms.
The core of the Atlanta Rhythm Section remained on stage and backed Bob Welch. The former Fleetwood Mac lead guitarist/vocalist performed “Ebony Eyes” and “Oh Well” with the band, and did “Sentimental Lady” and “Hypnotized” solo. I would have preferred the latter be done with the band. For those of you only familiar with the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham era of Fleetwood Mac, the Bob Welch era was the one between that and the Peter Green era. Mick Fleetwood has said if it weren’t for Welch, Fleetwood Mac might not have lasted long enough to have a Nicks/Buckingham era (and the resultant super success).
Once Rick Derringer hit the stage there was no turning back; we were rocking all the way. Derringer played all his major hits; “Still Alive and Well”, “Hang On Sloopy” (from the McCoys era), and “Rock and Roll Hootchie Koo”. He also played a lengthy jam where he showcased his guitar wizardry. Bassist Charlie Torres was out of his mind hot as well, and drummer Tom Curiale was on fire. Nothing like a good power trio.
Gregg Rolie seemed to be THE headliner of this show of headliners. I base this on the amount of scheduled stage time allotted to his band. Everything just seemed to peak when Rolie hit the stage, including the size of the audience. Rolie was the original singer/keyboardist for Santana (yes, the lineup that played at Woodstock). I can still remember the day my friend John showed up with the album that first looked like a lion’s head until you looked closer and saw all the hidden faces, etc. (cover art; another lost art form). John said “You’ve never heard anything like this and I know you’re going to love it”. Boy was he right. We played it and it blew me away then, and it blew me away again tonight, some 40 years later. It was just amazing to hear “Evil Ways” (well maybe this one not so amazing – you musicians probably know why), “No One To Depend On” (my personal favorite of the night), “Black Magic Woman”, “Jingo”, and “Soul Sacrifice”. Man that’s good music. This set also drew the most dancers to the floor, with its’ exotic Latin rhythms. I don’t think anyone’s come close to fusing rock and salsa music this well, even to this day. If all this wasn’t impressive enough, Rolie was a founding member of Journey too, so we got to hear three of those songs too, including everyone’s favorite, “Lights”. Sorry all you Journey fans, but while it was great to hear those tunes, the Santana was what did it for me.
Pat Travers had the unenviable task of closing out the night. Unfortunately, lots of people left after Rolie (the long stage breakdown/setup certainly didn’t help). But it was a long night by the time he got on (5 + hours of music already experienced). However, he brought his A game and set out to kick butt for those of us who remained. He did a real hot “Crash and Burn” early on, and was being the guitar god that he is throughout. But after about a half hour (his scheduled allotted time, which was a bit behind schedule anyway) he was still going strong with no signs of calling it a night.
So I am a little ashamed to admit it, but I left for the one-hour drive home, worn out, but happy. It’s tough work having this good a time, but like I said, sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. This was certainly one of those times.
It’s Only Rock & Roll was at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, TN on 10/12/2009
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