NRBQ hosts wild weekend
Monday, May 03, 2004 By KEVIN O'HARE
Music writer Springfield Republican
NORTHAMPTON - Fans came all the way from Japan to hear NRBQ in Northampton this weekend.
And they also came from California, Texas, New York and throughout the United States to see a remarkable band with a deeply devoted following stage two of the most unforgettable performances of its career.
For this was NRBQ's 35th Anniversary Reunion Concert weekend and it lived up to all expectations. The band filled the Calvin Theatre to capacity on both Friday and Saturday night, and shared the spotlight with just about everyone who had ever played with the group, dating back to NRBQ's eponymous debut album on Columbia Records in 1969.
It was one wild weekend to say the least. A mariachi band greeted fans outside the Calvin and wandered through the crowd inside, enlivening things before the Q hit the stage. Camera crews scanned the audience and filmed both shows for an upcoming DVD focusing on the reunion. John Sebastian, of Lovin' Spoonful fame, joined the group on stage both nights, and on Saturday even a string quartet provided accompaniment for two songs.
Eclectic, electric, fevered, frenzied, offbeat, zany, fully focused at times and delightfully disjointed at others, it was one flat-out rockin' blast through the group's past and present. And to truly experience the weekend, one almost needed to be at both shows because they each had very distinct elements.
NRBQ played 41 songs on Friday and 43 songs on Saturday, during concerts that lasted approximately three-and-a-half hours. But of the 43 songs delivered on Saturday, 28 weren't included in Friday's set. As their fans know, no two NRBQ shows are ever alike and that certainly was the case this weekend.
Each night began with a brief film, which included everything from home movies of the group in its early days to videos, an infamous TV ad for the "Tiddlywinks" album featuring pro wrestler "Captain" Lou Albano, and a very bizarre televised appearance where a puzzled audience witnessed NRBQ frolic with a Cabbage Patch doll trying to do the limbo.
Following the film, the full band came out on stage. That ensemble included the group's current lineup of founding members Terry Adams on piano and Joey Spampinato on bass, along with longtime drummer Tom Ardolino and guitarist (and Joey's brother) Johnny Spampinato. "Big Al" Anderson, the great singer, songwriter and guitarist, who'd been gone from NRBQ for 10 years was back for these shows. So too was masterful guitarist Steve Ferguson, drummer Tom Staley and wildman singer Frank Gadler, who together with Adams and Joey Spampinato formed the original five-piece band that recorded the first album.
On each night, various horn players also accompanied them from The Whole Wheat Horns and The Sun Ra Horns, including Terry's brother Donn Adams who played trombone.
NRBQ opened both shows with the pairing of two early gems, "Do You Feel It?" and a rockin' "Ain't It All Right," both from 1972's "Scraps." That set the stage for some extraordinary moments to follow.
Friday's concert had countless highlights as the first set in particular was staggering. Gadler, who looks a little like Tom Jones and may be the only person in the world with a more bizarre stage presence than Terry Adams, shined on Billy Stewart's soulful "I Do Love You," while Ferguson delivered a show-stopper in "Flat Foot Flewzy," from the 1970 album they recorded with Carl Perkins' "Boppin' The Blues."
Anderson, however, was clearly the crowd favorite. Sebastian played harmonica behind "Big Al" on a touching take of "Never Take the Place of You," and Anderson's classic "Ridin' in My Car" brought the house down. He offered a supremely soulful vocal on "Feel You Around Me," and even reached back to his days with the Wildweeds for a tremendous version of that band's 1967 regional hit "No Good To Cry."
The modern-day version of NRBQ dominated most of Friday's second set, turning in several songs from the group's brand new album "Dummy," including "One Big Parking Lot," and Adams' idealistic "Imaginary Radio."
Gadler returned for a smooth-croonin' "Our Day Will Come," and they even brought out Kenny Sheehan, who briefly played guitar in the group in 1971 for "Howard Johnson's Got His Ho-Jo Workin'." After a barn-burning "Shake Rattle & Roll" (with Anderson on a roaring lead vocal), the encores were highlighted by "Get Rhythm," and "Me and the Boys."
Saturday's performance had an equal number of high points. Anderson, who spent 22 years as the group's guitarist, shined plenty during the first set, on songs such as "It Was an Accident," and along with Adams and Spampinato they combined for some fine harmonies on "When Things Was Cheap."
Sebastian, despite his now limited vocal range, sang a heartfelt version of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and Ardolino came down from his drums to sing a very amusing take of Sebastian's own "Welcome Back." King Radio's string quartet backed Anderson's deeply touching acoustic run through "A Better Word For Love," and gave Joey Spampinato an equally tasty backdrop for "Yes, Yes, Yes."
Saturday's second set standouts included a typically bizarre blast through Sun Ra's "Rocket Number 9," a four-part harmony filled "Hey Baby," with Ferguson taking lead, and a rollicking cover of Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody." The two Spampinatos offered a horn-backed playful duet of "Paris," while the encores included an even better version of "Ridin' in My Car," - with horns - as well as the Gadler-sung "Get a Grip," and the whole ensemble - with all 14 players on stage closing the weekend with a house-quaking "Shake, Rattle and Roll."
Those who were there for either one or two nights will likely never forget this weekend. Hopefully the DVD will capture the magic. Stay tuned.
back to the reunion picture page.
|
