Justman's organ fired up a searing "Give It To Me," and the two guitars made "Freeze Frame" a rockin' delight. Wolf saluted the old Boston Tea Party, noting the band had played with people like Howlin' Wolf, Waters, Jeff Beck, and Traffic in its heyday in the late 1960s-early-70s, before starting a gritty take on "Cruisin' For a Love." The upbeat tempo on "Just Can't Wait" was positively frantic, and Levine's guitar solo was as incendiary as it gets.Ī bit later, Wolf began "Teresa" with just Levine's acoustic guitar, however, and as that soft ballad unfolded, many fans took it as a clue to hit the restrooms or beer stands, which was unfortunate, as they missed his most impassioned vocal, and a very deft and nuanced side of the group. The quirky stop-and-start format of "Wait" made that tune another r&b gem, while "Sanctuary," from the band's later years, demonstrated the growth and depth they achieved. Magic Dick's howling blues harp was the centerpiece of a "Nightime" that seemed to be delivered at double-time. Wolf made a nod to blues greats like Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Howlin' Wolf (all of whom the band played with in their early days) as a way of introducing Otis Rush's "Homework," which became a Geils Band trademark. The guitars-versus-the-harmonica byplay made "South Side Shuffle" into a blast furnace of r&b power. We won't say they replaced Geils, although many of the guitar lines sounded similar, but with Levin and Barry the band as a whole didn't miss a beat.Īfter a brisk opening run through "Sno-Cone," the Geils Band really tore it up with a rowdy "Hard Drivin' Man," as Wolf in his black and white, almost leopard skin-pattern, sportcoat danced joyously around the stage. Levine took most of the guitar leads, but Barry had a couple of impressive spotlight sequences too.
Last night's lineup also had Tom Arey on drums, and two female backup vocalists, along with original band members Wolf, keyboardist Seth Justman, bassist Danny Klein, and Magic Dick on harmonica. But replacing him were two guitar aces, in Duke Levine and Kevin Barry, who Beantown clubgoers would tell you are two of the city's most skilled and versatile six-string wizards.
Last night's version of the J.Geils Band did not include its namesake, as the actual Jay Geils has chosen to stay with his jazz career.
0 kommentar(er)
