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| From | "mgladish" <mgladish@comcast.net> |
| Subject | Raspberries reunion show 11/26/04 |
| Date | Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:27:05 -0500 |
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Raspberries reunion show, 11/26/04, House of Blues, Cleveland, Ohio.
I went into this show with fairly low expectations (being from Cleveland my
whole life, I'm used to disappointment) and more than a few questions that I
hoped would be answered by the end of the evening. Could Eric Carmen still
sing and play rock and roll? Could he still front a rock and roll band
after years behind a piano penning ballads for movies? Did Wally Bryson
still have his guitar chops? Would he bring his Flying V, his Rickenbacker,
and his double neck Gibson? Would Eric and Wally feud all evening or give
us their best Choirboy imitation? Would the event simply implode and
resemble a family reunion gone bad?
Here's the summary: The band rocked, respected the music and seriously
impressed 1000 hot, sardined fans (thanks HOB. I've got many new, sweaty,
intimate friends - good thing no Fire Marshals were present at this event).
If you're not a Raspberries fan, you can stop reading right here. The rest
is going to be a Cleveland-homeboy positive rant, anyway. I really
interested in what the out-of-towners thought of the show.
For anyone else who's interested, the show opened with a video that pieced
together slides, movie clips and performance videos of the band throughout
their career. While the old pictures seriously highlighted the physical
differences 30 years can do to a body, most people came to hear the music,
not attend a beauty pageant. The video counted down and blended perfectly
into the band's first song. Here's the set list:
1. I wanna be with you
2. I can't explain (The Who)
3. Making it easy
4. Play on
5. Baby's in black (Beatles)
6. Nobody knows
7. Should I wait
8. If you change your mind
9. Come around and see me
10. No reply (Beatles)
11. I saw the light
12. Might as well
13. It seemed so easy
14. Last dance
15. Let's pretend
16. Ticket to ride (Beatles)
17. When you were with me (The Choir)
18. It's cold outside (The Choir)
19. I can remember
20. Starting over
21. Don't want to say goodbye
22. Party's over
23. Overnight sensation
24. Tonight
25. Hard to get over a heartbreak
26. Ecstasy
27. Encore: I'm a rocker
28. Encore: Go all the way
Thanks to friend and list member Dave Esmond for assistance on the list. I
don't think the guys in the band know their songs as well as Dave does.
While the band members have certainly aged, their ability to play and sing
reminded me more of pulling the cork on a 30-year old Burgundy, tasting the
first sip, and realizing, "YES!", the wine has matured and the rest of the
bottle will be well worth savoring and sharing with friends.
The band members were in fine spirits all evening and played straight
through for two hours up to the encores. A trio, dubbed "The Overdubs",
assisted the band on various instruments. Jennifer Lee sang, played
percussion and keyboards; Paul Sidoti added guitar, vocals, and keyboards,
and Billy Sullivan pitched in on guitar and vocals, also. Eric said, at one
point, that the band brought in the extras flesh out many parts of the songs
that four musicians couldn't recreate live. The backups truly helped hit a
few high notes and added to many of the choruses, but Eric, Wally, Dave and
Jim didn't really need the assistance. As you can see from the set list,
all band members had their time in the spotlight and no one person dominated
the show.
All band members carried their vocals and instruments well, with nary a slip
up the whole night. I can only remember two instances where instruments
failed. The band re-recruited their old road crew to assist and they
performed well, as did the sound crew, who created a full, warm aural
environment. No earplugs were needed on this evening. Of course, I'm 46
and have seen hundreds of shows, so I guess trying to gauge volume by my
ears is like trying to taste a well-brewed beer after eating a Habinero
pepper.
Some highlights of the evening: Eric and Wally's duet on Baby's in Black -
these guys can still channel the Beatles with the best of them. Eric trying
to make an adjustment on his acoustic guitar, calling Wally over to look at
it, both of them holding the guitar at arms length until Wally pulled out a
pair of reading glasses to make the adjustment. Eric and Wally both playing
Rickenbackers during Let's Pretend (I'm a fool for a Ric). The band members
noting that they all finally had guitar picks labeled with Raspberries and
their names. Jim Bonfanti standing up and yelling that even he had some
picks and throwing a handful into the crowd. The TWO Choir songs. Talking
with my friend Dave about what songs they hadn't played yet and agreeing
that I Can Remember would be too hard to do after so many years.....just as
the band broke into the song....after the song Eric commented, "Not a bad
song for a group of twenty year olds". Eric's comment that they were going
to call the tour the "Hell Freezes Over" tour, but that name had already
been taken. Finally, Eric and Wally shaking hands after the encores.
I heard a rumor that the show was being recorded for DVD and audio. One can
only hope.
Thanks.
Mike
mgladish@comcast.net
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