Average
White Band started their show at 8:10pm with a tribute to a P-Funk/James Brown
saxophone legend called "Blow Maceo" (for Maceo Parker)...the
highlight was the saxophone soloing. The next song was a funky clavinet-driven
song featuring lead vocals by Alan Gorrie. "What You Gonna Do For Me"
(a Chaka Khan & Rufus song)
featured
keyboardist Klyde Jones on lead vocals and a hot lead guitar solo by Onnie
McIntyre. The instrumental jam was da bomb, featuring some fast and funny
scratch guitaring, strong funk bass and a powerful, hardcore drum solo.
"When Will You Be Mine" and "Love Won't Let Me Wait" were
followed by "Soul Searchin' ", a jazzy uptempo tune that's pretty
funky. The mostly instrumental "Work to Do" featured some blues-style
guitaring and a great sax solo! "I'm The One" sounded as funky as the
next song "Cut the Cake", which featured some great rhythm guitar
funk by Alan and some deep, thumpin' bass grooves by Klyde. The band left the
stage, just to come back and perform the ultimate AWB tune, "Pick Up the
Pieces"...every behind in the audience was up and at attention ready to
give up da funk!!! The AWB set was over at 9:20pm.
At
9:45pm, Tower of Power started out on a serious mission to funkatize every body
in the room. Their first song was the 1975 version of "The Oakland
Stroke", complete with the full brass army (leader/saxophonist Emilio
Castillo, long-time partner in crime/baritone saxophonist Stephen
"Doc" Kupka, trumpeteer Adolfo Acosta, trumpeteer Mike Bogart and
saxoponist Tom Politzer)! POWERFUL VOCALIST extraordinaire Larry Braggs handled
the vocals on "Soul With a Capital 'S' ", complete with funky scratch
guitaring by Trey Stone (newest member to the TOP camp, replacing Jeff Tamelier)
and powerful baritone sax riffs by Doc (DAG....that mug was loud as hell!)
"You Strike My Main Nerve" and "Just Enough and Too Much"
were followed by "So I Got to Groove", featuring a blazing trumpet
solo by Mike. "To Say The Least, You're The Most" was da bomb, thanks
to Roger Smith playing his behind off on the organ!! "Willing to Learn" was a definite
highlight because of the killer trumpet solo by Adolfo and the story that Larry
went into about losing his girl and trying to win her back....let's say that
there was a lot of begging and vocalizing like Lenny White!! (LARRY IS ONE BAD
MOFO.....VOCALLY, HE IS BADD!!!!!!!) "Squib Cakes" was a "Doc" highlight on the
baritone sax...this led into the 1976 combo of "Ain't Nothing Stoppin' Us
Now" and "You Ought to Be Havin' Fun". Trey Stone was killin' that lead
guitar...the rock vibrations were enough to set off car alarms outside...all of
this for the song "Don't Change Horses (in the Middle of a Stream)". "Only So Much Oil in the Ground"
was followed by the Emilio lead vocal highlight
called......................"Diggin' on James Brown". (OH, I MUST ADD
THAT FOR MOST OF THE SHOW, AT LEAST 35% OF THE AUDIENCE WAS ON ITS FEET...well,
it got better later on!) "Gimme Your Love" (from the new album, "In
the Oakland Zone") was funky, and the horns were great on "So Very
Hard to Go". "What is Hip?" was a serious crowd favorite and
every fan was participating with the chant "What is Hip?" The show
ended with an encore performance of "You're Still a Young Man" (when
it came time for most of the band to get down on their knees, I was on mine,
too!!!) and "Knock Yourself Out" (everyone was knocked out with the
strong funk)! This is Dr. Brookenstein saying "I'm out, and my brain is
all FUNKED OUT...my funk receptors are grinnin' with pleasure!!" Oh, the
show was over at 11:15pm and the TOP members were outside signing autographs.
Submit suggestions or comments to david.brooks@brookenstein.com