| Hootie Shakes Up Westbury
Hootie & The Blowfish Northfork Theater : Westbury, NY . . . . . |
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When bands tour, often they establish favorite places to play along the road – and when they perform at that hot spot, the shows become special. Hootie & The Blowfish seems to have made that special connection with the North Fork Theatre at Westbury. When they returned recently, it was like a family reunion, and generally people that like Hootie are friendly folks lookin’ for a good time.
Opening with “State Your Peace” from the latest studio album Looking For Lucky followed by a pair of gems, “Time” and “Runnin’ From an Angel” from their multi-platinum debut Cracked Rear View, the band was in great form, and the vibe in the theatre was warm from the first note. While lead singer Darius Rucker is rather shy on the mic, guitarist Mark Bryan got the crowd going with his Pete Townsend windmills and jumpin’ about the stage as his blonde mop of curls flopped around.
“Space” and “One Love” were well received, but it was “Desert Mountain Showdown” and a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Hey Hey What Can I Do” that showcased the band’s versatility. Fans held up signs that read “I’m A Sucker For Rucker” and “I’m Hot For Hootie,” cheering them on.
“Here’s a song I wrote after spending a night in a drunken stupor,” said Rucker as he introduced the band’s biggest hit, the ballad, “Let Her Cry.” The energy surged back up with “I Go Blind” and “Hannah Jane,” two crowd favorites. After “Get Out Of My Mind,” the band launched into “Old Man & Me,” which gave them leeway to play around a bit. Rucker sang a verse from “Shining Star,” and Bryan did his traditional mid-song rap.
Good vibes flowed through “I Will Wait,” after which Bryan made an announcement: “It’s going to be a while till we make it back to New York because the band is going on hiatus for a while,” he said. “So let’s have a party y’all!” This comment caused the crowd to go extra nuts on show closer “Hold My Hand.”
Returning to the stage armed with beers, the band was geared up for a pair of encores. The first saw them break out “Wishing” and “Only Wanna Be With You.” However, the second encore really delivered a powerful punch, with “Soup Song (Go & Tell Him)” and a killer cover of Oasis’ “Champagne Supernova.”
Hootie’s annual shows at Westbury are truly a highlight on the theater’s annual calendar. While their planned absence will be sad, it will only make their fans’ hearts grow fonder of a band that is much more than the media makes it out to be.
– David J. Criblez
| Genesis at Giants Stadium
East Rutherford, NJ . . . . . . . . . . |
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With every band under the sun reuniting (sans the Talking Heads), Genesis was bound to get their crack at the cash-in. When they came to Giants Stadium in September, the house was 75 percent full, and the crowd was pretty mellow. The “Turn It On Again” tour brought vocalist/drummer Phil Collins, guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks back together for another go-around.
The stage was an immense production evoking an electronic wave of lights that was nothing short of dazzling. The band was surprisingly tight, and Collins, a consummate professional, had the weight of carrying the entire show on his shoulders as the rest of the band was less than charismatic.
Opening with "Duke's Intro (Behind The Lines)," the trio wasted no time cranking out hits in "Turn It On Again," "No Son Of Mine," and "Land Of Confusion.” Collins, whose image was projected on portrait mirrors on each side of the stage, said, “We are Genesis and we’re here to entertain you! We have a special thing going on. Can you feel it?”
A sharp medley of "In The Cage," "The Cinema Show," "Duke's Travels," and "Afterglow" was stunning. A set list surprise was the back-to-back performance of "Home By The Sea" and "Second Home By The Sea," with Collins behind the kit while haunted images were projected on the screen that wrapped around the stage.
The performance of "Follow You, Follow Me" was short but sweet and then the band took a wrong turn. “Now we’re going to play some old songs,” Collins announced. “When I say old, I mean old. They were written when we had hair, dark hair.” The band made a huge mistake by filling the set list with the droning "Firth Of Fifth," "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)," "Ripples," "Domino," and "Los Endos" instead of delivering classics such as “Misunderstanding,” “That’s All,” “Abacab,” and “Paperlate.” Even “Illegal Alien,” “Man On The Corner,” and “No Reply At All” were overlooked.
Collins’ dramatic take on “Mama” was fun, and "Throwing It All Away" was key, but a drum duet was a waste of time, causing the show to be staggered. The show built momentum with "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight” and "Invisible Touch," complete with fireworks. An encore of "I Can't Dance" was playful, but the show ended disappointingly with "The Carpet Crawlers," causing the stadium to evacuate before the number was over.
Note to Genesis: If you’re going to reunite and charge people up the wazoo for tickets, the show must be well balanced or the crowd is going to feel ripped off and leave unsatisfied and unhappy. Suggestion: Rethink the set list, boys.
– David J. Criblez
