THE RASPBERRIES
House of Blues
Friday, Nov. 26 

Perhaps more directly influential on 25 years of “power pop” bands than 
fellow early-'70s cult luminaries Big Star and Badfinger, local boys the 
Raspberries have reaped a fanatical international reputation that Clevelanders may not 
recognize or appreciate. Friday's first live appearance of all four original 
Raspberries in over three decades was one of the biggest local music events of 
recent memory, with an estimated half of the sold-out tickets plucked by 
out-of-towners from as far away as Japan. The mostly forty/fifty-something audience 
was bursting with Beatlemania-worthy screams and kid-on-Christmas facial 
expressions. And that was even during the pre-show-hype video montage of vintage 
TV and Super-8 film footage. Fortunately, none of the crowd passed out or 
anything when the actual group appeared onstage. 

The band opened with the masterpiece “I Wanna Be With You,” which, along 
with Eric Carmen compositions like “Go All the Way” and “Tonight,” typifies 
what most made the Raspberries so legendary: sleazy advertisements for teen sex 
driven by punchy guitars, irresistibly tasty melodic hooks and sweet harmonies. 
Augmenting Carmen's pop genius, the set also showcased the fine songwriting 
contributions of other Raspberries Dave Smalley and Wally Bryson. Surprises 
included two songs by pre-Raspberries band the Choir and covers of Who and 
Beatles tunes. The evening could have been potentially soured by Carmen's ego, 
notorious for 30 years running. But he actually seemed somehow humbled by the 
occasion, and his stage presence was rather endearing. 

Any worries that the retired band may have gotten lazy and lost its original 
spirit or otherwise ended up stiffly professional or sterile were also 
unfounded, with just enough blemishes for an appropriate amount of live character. 
Although drummer Jim Bonfanti amusingly referred to the band as “the 
Elderberries,” especially on their more rockin' hits, they sounded timelessly young, 
modern, and…well… fresh . The evening was preserved on video for a future DVD, 
which will hopefully include scratch-and-sniff inserts to replicate the kooky 
raspberry fragrance that was ventilated throughout the venue. Plus, fans have 
another once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the group in-person, as tickets 
go on sale Saturday for a follow-up New Year's Eve show. 

— Michael David Toth  

John B.