Song was "My Baby's Taking Me Home"... M Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com >From: "Michael Bennett" >Reply-To: audities@smoe.org >To: audities@smoe.org >Subject: Sparks in Central Park >Date: Tue, 05 Aug 2003 22:49:31 -0500 > >This past weekend I made my first trip to New York City. Fantastic. >Alive. Wet (rained almost every day). As great of a time as I had, I am >still not sold that NYC pizza is better than Chicago's, though the real >thing is better than the NYC style elsewhere. > >Anyway, I went to Central Park this past Sunday to see Sparks for the >second time in my life. Making the occasion all the better was to get to >see a show again with Auditeer Sherman Boim, and Sherman radiates a >positive vibe, making it a perfect scene for a show. (Also got to meet >Auditeer Henry Laura, which was cool). > >Support band Junior Senior play frothy empty headed party music. >Everything from club music to B-52s to The Beatles to Chic was referenced. >The soundmix didn't really benefit them, as there wasn't enough bottom. I >didn't dislike them, but with out a fat bottom, it just didn't quite work, >though they may be a good next step for kids currently jonesing on The >Wiggles. > >Moving up pretty close to the stage for Sparks (and the Summerstage area is >pretty nice -- the place wasn't jammed, but it was about 75-80% full when >we clambered up near the front). The band (Ron and Russell Mael, Tammy >Glover on drums and Dean (forgot his last name, used to be in Faith No >More) on guitar. They did the entire LIL' BEETHOVEN album. The set had a >video screen in back, which was often flashing different images of Ron. > >I was wondering how they would handle performing the densely produced >album, with its layers of synthesizers, faux strings and overdubbed chorals >of Russell Mael vocals). Well, for most songs, they relied on a lot of >prerecorded stuff. I guess short of touring with Polyphonic Spree, that's >the only way they can do it. This made for a tough mix -- trying to >balance Russell's live mike in with the taped Russell's in the background. >(On "Your Call Is Very Important", I don't think he did any live vocals...) >There were spots where they stripped it down to just Russell with Ron >accompanying on piano ("I Married Myself" and "Suburban Homeboy"). > >I wish they could have added more live elements. But otherwise, I was very >happy with the performance. There were lots of little bits of humor (Ron >wearing extra long fake arms, Ron interacting with video images on the >screen, during "What Are These Bands So Angry About?", Ron sitting in front >of Russell holding up a cigarette lighter). Russell seems to have a lost a >bit of power off his voice but still has most of his range. > >Two songs really killed me -- "My Baby's Taking Home", which consists of >the title phrase being sung over and over and over and over and over... was >even better than on the album, and Dean's guitar really helped make the >song drive. And the rocker "Ugly Guys With Beautiful Girls" worked >splendidly, with Ron strolling the stage with a tall blonde on his arm. > >After a brief break, the band did a five song encore. They did "I Predict" >and "Cool Places", extending each. The former came off a bit better -- I'm >not sold on Tammy Glover's drumming, which seemed pretty weak on both "Cool >Places" and "This Town Ain't Big Enough For the Both of Us" -- the latter >was a trip to finally see played in person, but, for some reason, the >guitar at the beginning was a bit tamped down, though that was rectified >throughout the rest. They also did two GRATUITOUS SAX songs -- "When I >Kiss You I Hear Charlie Parker Playing", which is a trifle, IMO, and the >finale, "When Do I Get To Say My Way", which is one of their best dance >songs and sounded fantastic. > >After all that, and a very enthusiastic reception, Ron took the mike and >told the fans that it was not the plan to skip playing New York for 20 >years and how much he truly appreciated the response and said they'd be >back soon -- as my friend Dave noted, in the aftermath of a show which is >so steeped in humor (done seriously) and irony and such, it was utterly >sincere. They stayed at the merch booth to sign stuff. (I had gone to a >Friday in-store at the Greenwich Village Tower -- Ron read lyrics from the >new album -- weird). > >All in all, a good but not great show. I wish they had a full band. I >think that the LIL' BEETHOVEN show will translate better to an indoor venue >and I hope it makes it to Chicago (and they also will have more time -- >curfew forced the shorter second set). > >One more note -- caught Les Paul last night at Iridium jazz club -- if you >have the slightest interest in the man, go, go, go. Lots of standards, a >guitarist of impeccable feel, who is funny and has amazing stories -- and >he looks great for an 88 year old man. > >Mike Bennett > >Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com > >_________________________________________________________________ >Tired of spam? 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