One if by land, two if by sea, and three if by Rock ‘n Roll Sedan…..
Tonight Randall, Homework and I took the trip down to Uncasville to see The British Invasion, a tribute to the music of the 60s. Arriving about fifteen minutes before show time, we were able to commandeer a favorable spot, barside left. It was clear from the onset that this had the potential to be a magical evening; Wee Girl, Captain Quint, Fred & Ginger and The Squatch were all in attendance. It was a virtual red carpet of Wolf Den notables.
The introduction of The British Invasion let us know that they would be playing three distinct sets of music from the 60s; one of UK music, the US answer, and finally music from the four lads that started it all. The band is comprised of four members. Robert Murdock looked normal as he sang and played bass. However, the other three had memorable features. On guitar and lead vocals was Lee Scott Howard, with fluffy faux hair that would have made Phil Spector blush, drummer Jeff Alai’s hair was the exact shape of a speed cyclist’s helmet and keyboardist Jon Wolf’s look answers the question of “what would Gabe Kaplan look like if he made a porn flick?”
Once the band commenced, it was clear that they were solid. Hard Day’s Night kicked off the near ONE HUNDRED MINUTE SHOW, which exceeds the normally strict Wolf Den ninety-minute policy. From there it was a journey through the mid-1960s with classics from The Beatles, DC5, Hermits, Swinging Blue Jeans, Who, Kinks, Stones, Zombies and Moody Blues. I could have done without two songs from Herman’s Hermits (Hush and Henry), but I thank them for playing as now we do not feel compelled to see Peter Noone on May 26. This set of thirteen songs was done extremely well and my personal favorites were Tuesday Afternoon and Paint it Black, the latter song I do not like, but was nonetheless performed well.
The second set was dedicated to the late Davey Jones. The set was dubbed as the US answer to the Invasion and included songs from The Monkees, CCR, Beach Boys, McCoys, Turtles, Playboys, Kingsmen, Archies and Tommy James. This is where the show came to a screeching halt. The performances were good but the song selection was just abysmal. Mony Mony, Louie Louie and Sugar Sugar (sense a trend) are just flat out terrible songs. In addition Judy in Disguise is a forgettable song that should not have been played. The only song I liked from this set was Fortunate Son. I struggled through this set only due to selection.
Now we enter the third set. I am feeling lukewarm right now at best. However, that tepid sensation turned white hot as the British Invasion announced that they were going to play the entire second side of Abbey Road. This is where the band took complete control of the night. They rocked this hard. I have heard several bands play this music and there are two things you need to get right; the drums in Carry That Weight and the vocals in Golden Slumbers. Both were done to supreme perfection. I was riveted to the stage and barely noticed the final five minutes and overtime of UConn’s loss to Notre Dame. They closed the show with an encore of Got to Get You into My Life, but should have just left after The End.
This was a unique band. My grade on this show would be a solid B+. First set was good, second set was bad (song selection) and third set was great. We have seen many tribute bands, but this is the first I have seen as a tribute to an era, not a group. That being said there was no need to judge vocals, appearance or anything other than the music. The British Invasion is just plain good music. My only advice would be to stick to the British stuff and no more "US answer". If they mix the set then I would see this band every time they visited The Den.
Just a good night of music, Krispy Kremes and The Squatch.
Vick
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