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Like his father, Dweezil obviously has made wise choices in the musicians accompanying him in the Zappa Plays Zappa ensemble. That any septet can play "G-Spot Tornado," a composition not even intended for human beings, must be seen to be believed. As must Scheila Gonzalez's doubling on saxophone and keyboard practically simultaneously at the blistering pace required.
The Byham Theater show opened with "Black Napkins," also the opener when I saw FZ in November 1980 at the old Stanley Theater (now the Benedum Center) around the corner in downtown Pittsburgh. Right off the bat, the audience was treated to an example of the wonders of 21st technology: a video of Frank playing guitar, perfectly synchronized with what the band was playing below him. The process was repeatedly periodically throughout the evening, culminating in FZ's blistering (and shirtless) solo on "Muffin Man" from his 1979 film "Baby Snakes."
Audience members enjoyed seeing the footage of Frank, but the live band was quite impressive in as of itself. After a reading of "My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama" straight from "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" (as opposed to the version on Dweezil's solo debut, "Havin' a Bad Day"), the ensemble launched into the medley of "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" > "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing," showing the prowess of the individual members in following Frank's extremely complex rhythmic patterns.
For Mothers of Invention fans, the medley that closes the "Absolutely Free" album was a real treat: "Son of Suzy Creamcheese" > "Brown Shoes Don't Make It" > "America Drinks & Goes Home." In particular, pulling off "Brown Shoes" was a stellar feat. But the night still was young.
Tour guest Ray White, sporadically of FZ's band in the '70s and early '80s, made his first appearance to sing "City of Tiny Lites." The similarly themed "Pygmy Twylyte" followed in an arrangement based on the one played in Helsinki in 1974 that's documented on "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2." As he did throughout the evening, Dweezil did a masterful job in replicating his father's intense guitar presence.
Frank reappeared via video for "Montana" before the band launched into the always-fun "Cheepnis" and "Advance Romance." The latter was highlighted by a guitar duet between Dweezil and Ray White on a suitably screeching Telecaster.
After Frank recited "Dumb All Over," still as relevant as ever more than a quarter of a century later, and the ensemble played the tricky "What's New in Baltimore," Dweezil announced the next song, "Dupree's Paradise," saying the band was going to have some fun. Each member was featured, including keyboardist Aaron Arntz on melodica and some wonderfully improvised vocals by White.
Several audience favorites followed, culminating in Ray's signature performance, "The Legend of the Illinois Enema Bandit." Dweezil evoked Frank's solo from the "Zappa in New York" album by employing some heavy echo to his guitar.
The end of the set featured the two songs that close "Sheik Yerbouti," and this might have been the highlight of an evening filled with highlights. First came the rhythmically scattered, vocally challenging "Wild Love," which segued perfectly (as it does on the album) into "Yo Mama." Audience members may have wondered what the band was going to do for the multipart middle section of "Mama," but Dweezil astounded everyone once again by paying tribute to his dad's performance almost note for note. The rigors of doing so seemed to take their toll a little bit, as he seemed to be a bit overwhelmed when singing the outro to the song. But after his virtuoso performance on the guitar, no one was going to complain.
The crowd that packed the Byham - on short notice, as the venue had been switched to Pittsburgh from Erie just a few weeks before - gave a rousing plea for an encore, and the band responded by backing Frank singing "Cozmik Debris," which included an extended two-part guitar solo, first by son, then by father. "G-Spot Tornado" followed in a jaw-dropping arrangement, considering that FZ realized the original composition on the synclavier, a computer-based instrument in which he invested specifically so he could perform music that people couldn't play.
Then came "Muffin Man" and the close of a nearly three-hour show that had some fans contemplating making the drive to either Columbus or Cleveland to catch Zappa Plays Zappa again while the band still is relatively near.
I'm about to start looking for good seats!
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