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I just got home from the ZPZ show at the Murat Egyptian Room in Indianapolis. I had never had the pleasure of seeing Frank play live so when a old buddy told me he had some 3rd row seats, I was in.
Middle aged crowd, some youngsters, looked like a lot of parents/kids in the audience. That's good to see, a new generation of fans.
This show was far beyond expectations. A few housekeeping chores. I am new to this Forum but been enjoying Zappa music since HS in 1976. I see a fair share of concerts. I have not read any other reviews of this tour yet.
No smoke, no fancy light show, no bubble machine. Just 8 fantastic young musicians (ok one fairly old one) having a great time onstage. The song selections were what could be expected and a few very major surprises.
I won't give a song by song synopsis, partly because it would be impossible. We probably heard full productions or snippets of 40+ songs. Early in the show they did a medley of old 'Nasal Retentive Calliope Music' with a cacophony of instruments - very artsy and eclectic - but seeming in the style of Frank, if the live LP's and tapes I've seen are general indication. A large section of 70's-80's filled the middle section with Cheepnis, Cozmic Debris, Uncle Rhemus, and Dirty Love being the most recognizable to most of the audience. I liked 'Wind up Working in a Gas Station' from Zoot Allures, Dumb all Over, and some of the more eclectic bits like the 200Motels-like orchestral/solos about 2/3 into the show.
For several tunes the large screen behind the stage showed Frank either in excellent voice or ripping the strings off the SG, while the live band played in. DZ wisely chose not to do dueling solos or dueting with Frank, instead he humbly strummed backup or played while Frank sang. Those were some very touching moments and helped emphasize what a tremendous guitar play Frank was. I don't know how he keeps from tearing up playing his Father's music.
On other tracks DZ played much in the style of Frank, down to the heavy flanging/phasing. The tone of his stereo guitar rig was impeccable. DZ's playing was better than I had hoped for, the guy definitely has spent some time getting his chops down. That smile, I remember his smile. So proud to be up on stage, knowing he had us in his hands but never pretentious. DZ just seemed like a nice kid having a ball up there. Fame hasn't hurt him a bit. Although we were maybe 2/3 of a house in a rather small ballroom, he seemed very appreciative of the response the audience gave him. I know the first 10 rows were at standing ovation about every other song. DZ would just grin that boyish grin and toss his tousled locks, then bow his head gracefully. A truly NICE performer. You get the feeling that he'd be that way on the street.
The rest of the band was magnificent. Scheila Gonzalez, as keyboardist/sax player (soprano,alto,tenor) /vocalist was an amazing talent, very flexible, fun and very much enjoying getting to do some of the 'funny little voices' so frequent in FZ's music. The dueling sax with flute/trumpet/duck call was brilliant and hilarious at the same time. A very talented young lady with great stage presence.
Ray White was indefatigable. I think he mostly sang tunes that he had originally done with the band, so he was very much at home with the material. Illinois Enema Bandit, the show closer tonight, was immensely powerful. Ray has a fantastic voice and was very strong, despite the band having played 5 nights in a row, I think. A real gem, this one.
The other band member who really impressed was the Billy Hulting percussionist/marimba player. It looked like part acoustic/part electronic pieces he was using onstage, and the tone really cut through. I dont' know why, but the 'non-rock' instruments just seem more interesting to watch. He was all over the place and always added quite a bit to the overall sound of the band. Thanks for a great show Billy!
Bassist Pete Griffin was a young, cocky, true rock star with swinging hair and stage swagger to match. He also got a turn at some bk vox and really kept a solid line. Frank had some top notch bass players so those were big shoes to fill but he did so in spades.
Drummer Joe Travers had a very full Drum Workshop kit and he used every one of them beautifully. Obviously a very schooled performer, but he had a tight-but-loose feel, good timekeeping with some swing as well. He did a lot of vocal duty, some quite hilarious. Remember that the mic duties over the decades were handled by some very bizarre folks, and this guy's impressions fit right in. Hugely powerful with great dynamics, not too showy, but just right.
Lead Guitarist Jamie Kime had a tough role to fill. You had to watch closely to see who was playing what part, FZ, DZ, or him. Did a great job all night long and never grabbed the spotlight.
Keyboards - Aaron Arntz - multi talented, with piano, synth, analog, vocoder, vocals and trumpet. He was well to the back of the stage and our view was partly obscured by the bassist. Hit all the right parts with all the right voices, his solo bit during the 'orchestral madness' was hilarious, something about 'You have a lot of war memorials here...'.
There is so much to be said about this show that words fail me now. I was very impressed with the tempo of the show, the song selections, the tribute quality, etc. The technical quality of sound was superb, not too loud, good mix although we were pretty much in front of the main stacks. I would have liked more lighting production, it was very minimal, but hey, this was about the man and the music, right?
Last word- one of the encores was a piece from Jazz from Hell that was originally produced and played on Synclavier (right?), but DZ and band had broken down the arrangment so the band could play it. Brilliant, simply brilliant.
Go see this tour.
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