'the best concert i have ever experienced'
‘the best concert i have ever experienced’
.. is what my friend said after seeing Zappa Plays Zappa. Three solid hours of music, with only a few breaks for Dweezil to self-consciously tell stories about his dad: that some of Frank’s most popular music was recorded in Colorado at the Caribou Ranch studio (which has apparently since burned down); that frank had once sponsored some kind of anteater at LA zoo, but the plaque wasn’t there any more (Steve Vai said that he thought he had stolen it). I think Michelle put it best: Dweezil’s got a serious case of hero-worship.
But what heroes to worship, and to have come down to a little theater in downtown Denver to play the music they learned fron his father 20 years or so ago. Dweezil didn’t learn it back then, he wasn’t into his dad’s music while he was alive. I have heard through the grapevine that D had to learn this stuff for this tour. He’s done an admirable job, he’s no slouch on a guitar, but when he tries to do a vocal that his father would have delivered back in the day, he just doesnt have the inflection quite right.
So Dweezil is not Frank. Now that I have that ouf of my system, I have to say that this had nearly everything I could have wanted. Montana. I’m the slime (a debut - Did I mention that this is the first date on the second ZPZ tour?) Peaches en Regalia. The Torture Never Stops (particularly apropos today - the lead singer (whose name escapes me) screaming into a secondm mic in between vocal lines)
Started out with Dweezil and a bunch of a studio musicians. I don’t konw what Terry Bozzio looks like nor Steve Vai, both names I’d heard were going on this tour, so I didn’t know for a while that the musicians on the stage weren’t the original ones. They did a number of “teen angst” songs in a row after Terry Bozzio came out (I’m So Cute, Tryin to Grow a Chin)
Terry played the The Black Page #1, a really complicated drum solo, then dweezil introduced steve vai as the only person who could consistently play the instrumental part of the black page #3.
I have to describe this drum kit that Bozzio was inside of. It was like a coccon of cymbals and bells and rototoms and two bass drums. I might have some pictures, i have to pull them off my camera.
I have to say how wonderful our seats were. I turned my boss onto this show, and the website about getting tickets. He joined the fan club so he could be in on the internet presale tickets, and got front row seats on the balcony. Thanks, Roger!!
If you are reading this and ZPZ is headed your way, GO!! See this show!!