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Did you attend the ZPZ show at the Well Fargo Center in Santa Rosa?

Dweezil and the band love reading your reviews.

Please do not post in this thread if you did not attend the show.

Mikey
Zappa.com Webmeister

Wells Fargo Center Santa Rosa, Ca 3-7-2009
ANOTHER GREAT SHOW, WHAT MORE CAN I SAY?
1. Cletus Awreetus Awrightus
2. Inca Roads
3. Village Of The Sun
4. Echidna's Arf
5. Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?
6. Billy The Mountain
7. Flakes
8. Broken Hearts Are For Assholes
9. Bamboozled By Love
10. King Kong - Band Solos
11. Lumpy Gravy
12. G-Spot Tornado
13. Why Don'tcha Do Me Right
14. Penguin In Bondage
15. Willy The Pimp.... With Scott Thunes On Bass !!!
16. Outside Now
17. Peaches En Regalia
18. Illinois Enema Bandit
ENCORE:
19. The Torture Never Stops

Great, Great Show!! Tonight I took my two sons to see the music of one of the biggest influences in my musical development. I had just start playing in a band on Long Island when Frank and the Mothers came to the Garrick Theater in 1967. I think they were supposed to be booked for a week but ending up playing for about 6 months, 4-5 nights a week. Any weekend when we had nothing to do we would drive to the Village in NY and pay our 3 bucks and spend a night with Frank and the Mothers of Invention. It was one of the best musical experiences of my life and to this day nothing has ever been quite like it. (until tonight)

Tonight's show made me appreciate once again what a genius Frank was both as a player and a composer. Zappa plays Zappa is a group of extraordinary musicians playing inspirational versions of Frank's compositions. I could almost feel Frank on stage conducting the band as he used to do when the Mothers ruled my musical world. And then Scott Thunes came onstage! I knew Scott back when he played with my brother, Eric in a band called the Readymades in San Francisco. He went from punk and new wave to Zappa - who knew! It was a great treat to see Scott play again and Willie the Pimp sounded great.

I hope Zappa Plays Zappa comes back to Santa Rosa and plays some of Frank's earlier works like Call Any Vegetable, Brown Shoes, Mud Shark - the list goes on and on.

Once again thanks for the fantastic show and great musicianship. You guys can really play the hell out of Zappa and Santa Rosa appreciates you stopping by.

David Lenchner

WOW, This was my 4th time seeing this line up. As always it was amazing. Having been able to sit in the front row this time around was truly special. The musicianship lived up to the standards set by Frank. I was moved when Dweezil played Out Side Now. I could see he was too. Thanks so much for coming to Santa Rosa. We need more quality shows like this here. I can't wait for the return of the band this summer with Dream Theater. Thanks again. Oh, and thanks for the sound check tunes too, that was fun. Nice Van Halen, Dweezil.

The band was TIGHT! We took our granddaughter, who is 11, to see Dweezil...She liked it, but fell asleep after an hour or so...It's amazing that the players know all these songs and changes. I saw Frank back in the '60s in SF, so it was neat to see how well Dweezil has learned all these licks. Ray White was great...so was the horn player...she had a lot of energy. And the special guest...he was really good on bass...a fun night...these guys can play really really well. My ears were ringing into the night!

One setlist error, DD. Willie the Pimp was sort of in the middle of King Kong.
But, yes, another great show! Damn near three hours!
Did anyone else notice Dweezil weeping during the solo for Outside Now?
Dweezil, I felt it too, man. There is no replacement for your dad, but, needless to say, I am glad you are carrying on the torch. Frankly I could sit through a whole show of songs like Outside Now. I know you are trying to build up to Watermelon in Easter Hay (my girlfriend swears she heard a couple of notes of it during the Outside solo), but take your time. We're not going anywhere.
Another highlight was the aged hippie dancing in the first row, the security trying to eject him, and the crowd booing the security.
The Torture Never Stops is becoming a fave of mine with Ray.
Finally took my 11 year old godson/nephew who couldn't make the trip with me to the Roxy. He had a good time and Dweezil greeted him very sweetly after the show, which made an impression on him (and me!)
See ya next time and have a great trip to the rim and across the pond....
Here's a shot of Scott Thunes on Willie the Pimp.

[quote="yusufhamal"]Another highlight was the aged hippie dancing in the first row, the security trying to eject him, and the crowd booing the security.[/quote] Yeah, that old guy was a trip. He reeked bad though. Totally drunk. They left the back shuttlers open for that very reason, so you could dance back there. Otherwise a great time, always need one at a show to make it complete.

Yup, another truly amazing show! Cletus was a great way to kick off the set. All the tunes and Thunes to boot -- mighty fine fun. Joe grabbing the mike and rebuking the security goon for inhibiting post-teenage twirling and flailing from the "aged hippie" was also very cool. Billy and Aaron's King Kong moments were especially memorable -- Jumping jacks duck and cover -- fun, fun, fun. And of course, f-f-f-foil.

Thanks and Bon Voyage. Looking forward to the return.

Wow, what a night. We last saw ZPZ on New Years Eve in the city and were thrilled at the chance to see more. It's been mentioned here several times, but I just have to mention my take on "Outside Now" I felt tears rolling down my face, and felt rather silly. I mean, I never thought I'd be getting all misty-eyed to screaming Zappa guitar solos. When I saw Dweezil wiping his own tears away at the end of the song, it all made sense. We all felt it too, Dweezil.

Getting to hear Frank's music again and played by such an amazing group of musicians is the sweetest, most unexpected gift ever. Thanks so much, Dweezil and ZPZ. Feel the love, folks! It is well-deserved. See you next time.

During Inca Roads, I closed my eyes and imagined that this not imaginary guitar solo was being played by a thin man with a hooked nose and a giant mustache. It brought tears to my eyes. It was a great treat to hear the music played with such precision.

I'd love to hear Watermelon in Easter Hay, but I also think that FZ's solo in Stuff up the Cracks from Ruben and the Jets is one of the hottest guitar solos that I have ever heard on a recording.

To Dweezil and the band: You are doing a wonderful thing with this tour. Introducing FZ tunes to the uninitiated is a very worthy enterprise.

Keep it Greasy.

TG

By the way, Aaron Arntz's solo during Inca Roads was unusually excellent....anyone else notice?

Another unbelievable show from an unbelievable band. Such a treat to see Scott Thunes on bass, that was a nice surprise!

Great song selection, great solo performances from all members (special shout out to Aaron though... what do you feed that guy?!?)

Thank you for doing this Dweezil and company. Discovering Frank's music was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Getting to hear you all play it, with as much precision and integrity as you do, is another. Thanks for the memories.

Arf!
Wagz

I'm not as current with the Zappa scene as some others here but was a true blue fan in my younger days. I haven't listened to my Freak Out, Absolutely Free and other Mothers vinyls for ages and what a surprise it was to discover months ago that Dweezil was touring and playing his father's music. Then, to find out he was coming to the Wells Fargo Center, just minutes from my house! I scored a 10th row center ticket minutes before the show from a fan outside and was good to go.

What a together band Dweezil has organized and thoroughly rehearsed. Their unified start-stop precision, total rocking jazz-blasting energy had tastes of Steely Dan and Mahavishnu thrown into a mix that in the end was still all Frank Zappa. Dweezil has his own style but is an amazing and emotional channeler of his father's ripping solos.

It was fun seeing Scott Thunes shake his "out of shape" right hand after the warm-up solo before launching into The Torture Never Stops. I wonder if that was for real or laughs.

I have a feeling Dweezil's name-drop of Tom Waits in the intro to Billy the Mountain had to do with TW sitting in the aisle seat 4th row stage left (Sec. C). They must have had a pre-show chat.

But the fine music from the fine musicians honoring Frank Zappa was the main thing. Man, what a satisfying night!

I meant "launching into Willie the Pimp", not The Torture Never Stops, in reference to Scott Thunes in my post above.

...Also loved Aaron's jumping jacks during King Kong. Was he also doing push-ups? I couldn't quite tell from my seat.