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Did you attend the first ZPZ show at the Mod Club in Toronto?

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

was a good show,not great,at least the sound was clear un-like kitchener.
no high lights,was rather mechanical and predicatble with no surprises ie:interesting songs. black napkins was good to hear.
the venue was accomodating and 'intimate' and not sold out which i found odd but expected concidering the price tag(i didn't find it exsessive tho)
good appreciative crowd...my favorite was the stripper amply named 'nicky interesting'..and amply is correct....
almost 3 hours straight and just wish they had removed billy and inserted 30 minutes of other music that they say they learned...still yearning for t boogie.
oh well another show tonite and looking forward to hearing other songs than last night...

I have to respectfully disagree with Eric Haseler. Of course this is all about perspective and perception. I've seen the band 4 times in the last year (Toronto, Edmonton, Kitchener and again Toronto). Edmonton was really good but this concert was the best performance. The band really played in the moment. Dweezil's playing was transcendental. He has improved so much as a player in the past year. I put this concert experience in the same league as seeing Joe Pass, Bill Evans, Lenny Breau, Frank Marino, Brian May and David Bowie. Dweezil and the band were that good! Thanks for bringing Frank's music to life. Now, could somebody please post a set list.

I don't quite agree with Eric either- I had a fantastic time. Dweezil and the band were rock-solid, and "Billy" was the highlight of the night (I couldn't wipe the grin off my face). Dweezil looked very relaxed and it showed in his playing. Ray White sounded great. One of my least favorite Zappa tunes has always been "Bamboozled by Love", but last night's version blew me away.
Damn, I wish I could go tonight!!

Awesome show last night!
Great music & musicianship & FUN!
Just like Frank would want it.

Billy the Mountain!
Last seen in T.O. 37 years ago in Massey Hall - October 13, 1971
The TRIFECTA - Peaches / Echinda's / G-Spot
A guitar contest winner who could PLAY!
6 of my 10 set list picks were played last night.
Looking forward to another great show tonight!

And Friday night DOGMEAT
with the Toronto Youth Wind Orchestra in Glenn Gould studio.
info "Performances" on "What's new"

I brought my daughter to the show. She must have been the youngest person in the venue. She wasn't at all familiar with Frank's music. She was impressed enough to buy a t-shirt. Dweezil was kind enough to stick around after the show and autograph the shirt (and my ticket stub).

All I can say is WOW!! I've seen ZPZ a few times and all have been good shows.....but I'm at a loss for words when it comes to this show. Its was just incredible...the musicianship....the energy. Hey Eric, were we at the same show?

The highlight for me was definitely Billy The Mountain. What a treat! The Trifecta was beautifully superb. Hey Dweezil.....how do remember all that - that is some serious memorization skills. I loved Muffin Man and the jam in Willie the Pimp was ridiculous.

Definitely the best ZPZ show I have seen or heard....and easy 10 out of 10.

If Dweezil and the band really do read these reviews - thanks so much for such a great show and for all the energy, honesty and enthusiasm that you put into the music.

See ya next time!

Well said ZPZPhishPhan, I'm not sure how anyone could be even a little disappointed with last night's show. Terrific energy, sound and set list - can't wait to download the show next Thursday. Thanks Dweezil!!

..

We actually saw the sound check - we had VIP tickets...

The sound check consisted of (in no particular order):
Cheepnis
Montana (not played during the show!)
Lucille
Purple Lagoon (?)
and others...

there were about 20 of us in the audience and if you have a chance to buy a VIP ticket and see the sound check - I highly recommend it! We got in at around 5:15PM, we were wrist-banded and were able to stay of about 45 minutes. (we were also ushered in before the masses at showtime).

The actual show set list:
Purple Lagoon
Inca Roads
Cheepnis
Peaches En Regalia
Echidna's Arf
(Don't you ever wash that thing)
G-spot Tornado
Billy the Mountain
Filthy Habits w/solos (and bits of Rush!)
Guitar Givaway - and the guy could play!
Flakes
Broken Hearts are for Assholes
Bamboozled By Love
Lucille
Stinkfoot (Joe Travers vocals)
Doreen
Black Napkins
The Torture Never Stops

Encore:
Camarillo Brillo
Muffin Man
Willie the Pimp

Once again the band was tight. Pete Griffin was amazing as usual! The faces had all grown longer since the last shows at the Hummingbird Centre shows. The band members are all amazing performers - Sheila, Pete, Joe, Jamie, Billy and Aaron are definitely of the caliber you'd expect of a Zappa ensemble. Dweezil seems a bit looser with his solos than he was over the last few years. If you listen carefully you might be able to pick up the solo from 50/50 in Jaimie's solo - with a tip of the hat to Alex Lifeson. Ladies and Gentlemen, Ray White!!!

I saw both shows at the Hummingbird. The band was really small from the balcony - so being able to see them in a small club was a great treat.

This is the second time I have seen ZPZ. Last night's show was head and shoulders above last year's show at the Hummingbird, which I went to desparate for live Frank and enjoyed immensly.

At the end of last year's show I commented to the group that I was with on how Dweezil was a good guitarist and how Frank was a great guitarist.

Dweezil has indicated on the ZPZ blog that he had returned to the studio and studied his licks over the last year. As a longtime Zappa fan I can attest that his work is paying off. The studied ease of his picking, the confidence of his attack and the quality of his performance last night lead me to re-think my commentary of last year.

It took me two or three of Frank's live performances to come to the conclusion that he was in with the greats. It was at Place-des-Nations in Montreal on the day that Ahmed was born that Frank made up my mind for me.

I'm going to enjoy watching Dweezil grow, the same way I enjoyed watching Frank. As a guitarist and as a band leader.

Now, I'm always happy to hear Frank's music live. I really regret that his wishes about his portfolio have limited greater diffusion of his work. The modern day composer will never die, but if he ain't being played he's gonna collect a little dust. Dweezil's performance last night was a perfect example of how no composer can hold those who interpert his music to the last exact note on the page.

Even Frank himself returned to his previous works from different directions.

Enough.

Last night's show was superb (in this writer's humble opinion). The band was tight (although there were a few times when lines were lost and verses were tossed. It happens). The performance of "Billy the Mountain" was a great big blast. Especially Dweezil doing his father's "bogus pompous narrator" schtick.

I've always enjoyed a sing-along.

Scheila is de-lite-ful. Her musicianship and her obvious pleasure at hitting it just right are a real pleasure. What can I say about Ray? He is always a presence, and in such a comfortable and cosy venue he is imposing. I was worried when I didn't see the marimba before the show but then Billy started waving his mallets. Excellence in musical motion.

A bit of kazoo and an echo of Rush fitted in fine with the general controlled chaos. All in all an excellent evening.

Wish list:
- more horn. Grand Wazoo and Waka-Jawaka tunes need lot's o'horn.
- more Grand Wazoo and Waka-Jawka (you could see that coming if you were paying attention...)
- a version of "Let's Make the Water Turn Black" wouldn't hurt. I said I enjoy a sing-along.
- it'd be nice to see some of the other alumni of Frank's various bands (this is a wish list)

Now more than ever Frank Zappa's music is relevant to the sociey and the direction it is taking. I'm looking forward to Saturday night in Montreal.

Good night, boys and girls.

just got in from the 23rd show.
Still buzzing!
Only 2 songs repeated from last night
Inca Roads / Willie the Pimp!
5 hours of tunes within 24 hours!
YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA

Thanks ZPZ
Come back soon

I concur totally with all of the above comments on the show. It was pretty awesome. Although the ticket price was high (I think I paid around $3.00 to see the Mothers in 69 at the Rockpile...) I don't regret it for the value that I received. My highlight was when Ray launched into Doreen - man I love that song and the power with which he delivers it - amazing. Sitting second row centre I was able to see Dweezil's finger work up close and it really was fun to watch. I've seen these guys a few times now in Toronto at the Hummingbird, Buffalo at the University, Toronto at the Sony Centre and Buffalo in the rain. This was the best.

The other angle I wanted to comment on was the club itself. I've not been to the Mod Club before. I will definitely go again if the occasion arises. The staff were cool, not pushy. Security was tight but not overpowering. The women behind the bar were helpful and smiled. The washrooms were clean. There were no offensive smells. All the things that make for an enjoyable concert going experience. I don't know how ZPZ got booked into this place but it was an excellent choice IMHO.

Hello, my name is David Barrett, and I was the guitar winner at the Toronto Mod Club show on Wed Oct 22. I’d just like to say thanks to Dweezil and the rest of the band for the opportunity to get up and play, it really was a riot, and you guys were more than generous by letting me play so much. And trading licks with Dweezil was a blast!
The sound and performance of each band member was first rate, I was blown away, and Dweezil - killer TONE!
It’s a night I won’t soon forget, I’ll be reminding a lot of my music friends that I’ve jammed with ZPZ!
Thanks for the gtr!!!

Hi. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced problems downloading the concert. The download web-site didn't recognize my code. Also, apparently NUGS.NET/ZAPPA hasn't yet received the recordings for this show.