By: Cyn Collins
“It's almost the Beatles sounding better than the Beatles sounded live,” one independent radio host said when describing Curtisss A and Friend’s annual John Lennon Tribute. Other musicians and friends had informed me it was one of the best events of the entire year, and definitely Curtiss A’s shining moment as a performer. These recommendations as well as knowing Rusty Jones, bassist of the Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs was playing, clinched my decision to attend.
Initially not knowing what to expect, even a little lukewarm on the idea of it, I was pretty astounded on many levels –by the huge line out front, by the median age of the crowd, and by the huge scale of the production (at least 12 – 15 players on stage at any given time!) reminiscent of the legendary Willie Murphy and the Bees big band extravaganzas. I saw so many of my friends there, musicians and non-musicians, people I’d not seen in a long time, and I was absolutely delighted that my first time back in First Avenue since it reopened was filled with the camaraderie of fellow music lovers, dancing and singing like crazy! Seeing middle-aged music fans alongside equally enthusiastic youngsters expressing sheer delight at hearing nearly ALL their favorite Lennon tunes was terrific. People who “were there in the ‘60’s, so probably couldn’t remember them” had nostalgic, daydreamy faces, possibly re-experiencing those joy-filled days of hope for the future.
The core band was made up of about 14 – 15 all-star musicians harkening back to the early ‘80’s. I was immediately struck by Steve Brantseg’s superb guitar skill on the Lennon version Rickenbacker guitar, not to mention his very long hair (you don’t see that these days), Lennon glasses, and groovy pin-stripe suit. I was equally impressed by Rusty’s skill on first a “Beatle Bass (Hofner) and for the next set, a Rickenbacker bass”.
Having never seen a Curtiss A show in my life, my relatively naïve views were all over the map: “who’s this guy? What an ego! He’s crazy, he’s arrogant, he’s hilarious, he’s really a ham, he’s charming, he loves his people, he’s dedicated, really into this whoa! He’s a great singer (most of the time), he knows how to work the crowd, he’s irreverent, he’s . . . yeah, so I guess I got the Curtiss experience! I especially loved his dancing, his wild hand gestures, and his screaming, which I learned is spiritual for this existentialist man.
I won’t cite all the songs they played as they did what seemed to be Lennon’s entire career (sans McCartney?), maybe 100, 200? There were at least 4 sets spanning 7:30 to 12:30 with only one relatively short break! The stamina of these older players! And the crowd! I wondered if they were going through periods of Lennon’s life, or themes, and settled on themes more as the night progressed. My favorite was the psychedelic stuff (my favorites of the Beatles songs as well) and of course, the political songs, as timely today as they ever were.
Being a fiddler myself, I enjoyed fully the string section: the cello, and the viola. I also was struck by the keyboards, the large terrific percussion section that really got people to dance. Gary Rue, guitarist, songwriter, and arranger, and husband of Prudence Johnson, was brilliant. I suspect Rue is most likely responsible for the arrangements for the performance, a monumental task, I would think. The harmonies were one of the most compelling aspects of the evening and I realized that it is true what one fan told me: “You can easily tell which bands listened to the Beatles, by their harmonies, and their arrangements.”
I enjoyed running around and asking friends what they liked about the show. Comments ran from: “It’s the nostalgia. I remember seeing the Beatles in ’65 at the Met Stadium when I was only 14. It was my first concert ever, very moving. They had dinky amps, and I was a 1/4 mile away. I couldn’t hear because of that and the girls screaming. I’ve gone to this every other year for most of the years and it keeps getting better.” Another fan (who believes ALL music post-1960 comes from the Beatles): “I’ve gone for all 24 years. It’s the closest thing I ever do to going to church.” A sax player, “I like that they’re doing the songs that Lennon covered that were by African-American musicians (something I hadn’t realized).
Most of the crowd stayed to the very end, regardless of the late as Curtiss A and his band kept the momentum, even seeming to crank it up several notches toward the end, something that didn’t seem possible. As I was peering down over the crowd at one point during some of the protest songs, I felt that if we harnessed the energy and passion of all the Beatles fans, we could march on Washington and make a sweeping change! I got a taste of what it might possibly have felt like to live in the ‘60’s.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Curtiss A
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