| [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The B-52's Riverbend Amphitheater
It was a beautiful day for an outdoor concert, and I was truly looking forward to this show. I grew up on the music of the "B-52's" and the "Pretenders." "Rock Lobster" and "Party Out of Bounds" were party anthems for us. Dancing like fools and playing air piano . . . ah, the memories. These bands have been around for about 2 decades now, and they haven't lost one bit of their appeal. They're still playing the music that brings the crowd to their feet. The crowd was non-existent for "The Royal Crown Revue," and that was really a shame because this was a fun band. Their music is somewhat akin to "The Cherry Poppin' Daddies" or "Big Bad VooDoo Daddy." You know it, the swing rock type of music. Very energetic. They started the set with "Zip Gun Bop," a swinging song that had us tapping our toes. A few people in the rows in front of us were up dancing and cheering. The music was infectious, and something that needs to be experienced, to truly appreciate it. Lead singer, Eddie Nichols, was chatting it up with the crowd, and although he had a cast covering his entire right forearm and 2, maybe 3, of his fingers, he was in there swinging, dancing, even doing splits and talking it up with the audience the whole time. Their albums barely touch upon the energy and exuberance that this band exhibits live. "Walkin' Blues" was another fantastic song that had me bouncing in my seat. They followed it up with "Hey Pachuco" which Nichols introduced as a song about the "zoot suit riots." This seems to be their signature song because it's on 2 of their albums and it's also included on the soundtrack to "The Mask." A great song, and an absolute crowd-stopper - had there been a crowd at this point. There were several instrumental solos during this song. The trumpet player showed what he could do, then an absolutely incredible bass solo by "the Count." There is something about the bass, and I mean the free-standing big bass, not a bass guitar, that just exudes power. Then a drum solo and the song went into a big finish. Altogether, the band played for only about 30 minutes, but it was a fun-filled, action-packed half hour. They finished up with a "surf" song, "Barflies at the Beach," which can be found on their Mugzy's Move LP. I loved every minute that they were onstage. Their new album, released in August on Warner Bros. Records, I highly recommend finding and picking up. This is one band I'll be putting on my "must listen to" list. The Pretenders came out to a slightly bigger crowd, but there were still quite a few empty seats. I was hoping that they wouldn't stay empty long, because I couldn't imagine missing the opportunity to see this band. Chrissy Hynde looked just the same as she always had - it didn't seem like she'd aged a bit in the past 20 years. She looked happy to be there, and after the second song, she started talking about how glad she was to be back in her home state. That got the crowd cheering quite a bit but they still weren't ready to get on their feet. Chrissy told us they were rearranging their set for this show, and that we should bear with them because they weren't sure what they were doing. This led to a lot of discussion before they would start the next song. Some may have found this disorganized but I really felt like it added a homey touch to the evening. It didn't distract from the music, and I felt like I had a more personalized experience. Like it was being created for me on the spot. The crowd began to fill up during "Night in My Veins," which is from their last album, "Last of the Independents." This is a great song that had people up on their feet dancing. I still kept looking around me wondering when the place would fill. The people were trickling in slowly and I wouldn't be waiting too long to see the crowd I'd expected for this show. Chrissy dedicated the next song to all the original Pretenders' fans. When the first notes of "Kid" were played, the crowd began to cheer. I think most everyone there that night considered themselves original Pretenders' fans. After "Talk of the Town," she continued her playful banter with the crowd. She asked "What's with this basketball/baseball craze? Whatever happened to skinny weaklings?" People began to yell out and cheer again, apparently agreeing with her and then she pointed to one particularly exuberant fan, saying "the hippie agrees with me." That got the crowd laughing along. They continued on, doing most of their big hits, with Chrissy introducing each band member at different points during the show. When they got to "My City Was Gone," the crowd was really excited. The home state advantage does that, and I couldn't help thinking about the wild reception the band would get during the other Ohio shows. Folks love it when they can claim a band as one of their own. I think it just brings it all that much closer. After "Precious," the band left the stage until the stomping and cheering and whistling brought them back out to do two more songs for the encore. Everyone was on their feet dancing for "Mystery Achiever," and then when Chrissy started "Brass in Pocket," the fans really got going and sang along. It was a great set even if the crowd wasn't as energetic as she might have liked. I guess a lot of people were saving their energy for The B-52s, I don't know. I was just glad to be there and loved every minute of the time they were on stage. They played a little over an hour and it still wasn't enough for me. The only thing I missed was that they didn't play two of my favorite songs, "I Go to Sleep," and "I'll Stand By You." But, you can't play everything, and I was more than content with the show as it was. I thought Chrissy related to the crowd well and that she was down-to-earth and just all-around wonderful. She thanked the crowd, gave a little promo speech for the B-52's, and then they were gone. Very much missed. The B-52s' set was interesting to say the least. There were steps that the band came down when they first entered, a sort of medieval motif in the hanging props, and lots and lots of lights. They started off the set with "Planet Claire," to the delight of the crowd. They had bright spotlights pointed out into the crowd, and from where I sat, I was nearly blinded by the one on the right-hand side of the stage. The atmosphere was fantastic and you could feel the energy of the crowd in the air, the magnetism of the band. Everything combined to make for a truly memorable evening. "Dance This Mess Around" was next, and of course the band treated us to a myriad of dances during the song. A couple of lucky fans were up on the stage, dancing along on platforms at the top of the stairs. The set was well-planned and they moved smoothly from one song to the next. Quite a contrast from The Pretenders. I think I preferred the spontaneity from the previous set, but I loved every moment the band was onstage. They had big industrial fans set up on the stage floor in front of the band members and it gave Cindy Wilson a very wild look, blowing her long, blonde hair out behind her. There were video screens set up in the back, but to see them you had to turn around. Kind of strange, I thought. I'm sure there must have been other screens on the edge of the pavillion for those fans with lawn seats, but the screens on the inside didn't make much sense to me because you had to turn around and face the back to see them. Fred introduced the song "Good Stuff" as a song about getting down and dirty. The crowd cheered for that one, and you could see that the band had a blast singing it. During "Mesopotamia" there was a very eerie keyboard playing throughout the song that really gave it a great sound. This was never one of my favorite B-52s' songs, but tonight it had an appeal for me that it had never held before. Then came "Roam" and "Give Me Back My Man," one of my favorites. Kate Pierson was go-go dancing on the platform during this song (the fans had been relocated to the sidestage but were still dancing) and Fred had a standing xylophone that he played. The new song, "Hallucinating Pluto," received a warm response from the crowd. Fred plugged the new album in the intro, but did it in a joking "I know this is crass and commercial" kind of way that had the fans chuckling. They did "Strobe Light" next, and during the chorus they had, you guessed it, strobe lights going. Light shows are always well-received and this one, though very brief, was no exception. It was kind of disappointing that they only flashed them during one chorus though. Okay, I'm a sucker for cool lights. So sue me. Gotta love it. They lost a few people to their seats when they did the other new song "Debbie," and then "Cosmic Thing." I don't think it was the music, though. I think they just needed to rest up to recharge from all the dancing. "Debbie" has an awesome guitar riff that hooked me in and I loved this new song. When the first notes of "Love Shack" came over the speaker system, the crowd went wild. This song was one of the biggest hits for the band. It's become a wedding standard now, oddly enough, and fans love it. Everybody was up screaming and cheering and singing along. After this, the band left the stage amidst the stomping and clapping and whistling. Of course, we knew they'd be back. All fans know the drill. Stomp, whistle, and clap as loud as you possibly can, and then the band comes back. For the encore, they played my 2 all-time favorite songs. "Party Out of Bounds" is a song for just about anyone who's thrown a wild party. Then, when the first notes of "Rock Lobster" were heard, people began running down to the front to get closer and just bounce around dancing. Security was pretty tight at Riverbend though, because they were chasing people who rushed the front back to their own seats. A lot of people had taken off prior to this so I didn't see the harm in letting them dance up there for the last song. The guard down at the front evidently decided to let them go and have fun, but there was a security guard who looked about 60 years old who actually went right up to one guy and chased him back. I couldn't understand why he didn't just let the guy have fun. It was the end of the show. I guess some people just take their jobs a little too seriously. All in all, this was one of the best nights I've had in a long time. This was a definite "not to be missed" show and anyone who has the chance to go should run out and get tickets now. You won't be sorry. These bands give it their all, and I think they'll be around for a long time to come. |
    |
|||
|
