Tonight Randall and I ventured to The Den to catch Paul Revere and the Raiders. The expectation was low and our pre-show mantra was "just do not be as bad as The Association", which was by far the worst show we have seen (Rock Log 072210). We were clearly the youngest people at the show until two ladies entered The Den, one of which we will conservatively label as breathtaking.
Back when we were embryos, Paul Revere & the Raiders erupted on the music scene. With lots of help from Dick Clark & American Bandstand, the group, always decked out in their historic “Midnight Ride” costumes, was a mainstay on the radio helped by a plethora of then popular hits.
After a twelve year absence in the area, the boys returned to The Den donned in Revolutionary War attire. Equipped with his Ford Mustang keyboard, founding member Paul Revere and his 74 years of life, led the troops on a fun-filled trip through history with song, story and well-prepared comic antics.
Honestly, through the first thirty minutes, the endless onslaught of AARP and coffin jokes grew stale, as did the medley of songs. However, something unique happened when they dedicated two songs to the Vietnam Veterans, the boys actually began to rock. Driven hard by the absolutely insane drumming of Tommy Scheckel, the elderly minutemen rocked For What it's Worth, We Gotta Get Out of This Place, et al. All done quite well. Front man Darren Dowler (former guitarist for the back Street Boys - WOW!) did a very good job with the vocals, but make no mistake, Scheckel drove this band.
Following a shameless plug for their upcoming oldies rock cruise, the band peaked with a scorching rendition of Grand Funk's We're an American Band. I should mention that six days prior we had seen Poison perform the exact song and the Raiders completely blew Bret Michaels off the stage. Who would have thought that these musical patriots could jam up the stage so rock-fully.
The 75 minute show ended, we sandwiched Bob Knight in the men's urinal, grabbed two dozen Krispy Kremes and were home by ten. Overall, this is a classic case of reality far exceeding expectations. When discussed we both agreed that a return trip to The Den by Paul Revere and the Raiders would be met with a return trip by us.
Rock on and kick King George in the teeth.
Randall and Vick
No comments:
Post a Comment