Glenn & Chad 'Burn' up the Benefit concert!

  • Hi everyone. Just got back from the Lissa Wales benefit gig. It was one of the most amazing music events I've ever attended. I'm glad our boy Glenn was a part of it and was able to let the people of Phoenix know he's out there still.

    Other than Glenn and Chad's set, there were two other highlights of the show for me. A few years before I was a GHCP, I was a major Chicago freak. Witnessing Danny Seraphine from about 10 feet away was a dream come true. How do you Brits say it.... I was totally gobsmacked. Getting to meet Danny backstage was an extra bonus.

    The other highlight was a young boy, about 10 years old made a comment about my GH t-shirt I had on, about how cool it was. I asked him if he was a fan and he said he was and that this was his first time seeing Glenn. I told him he was in for a special treat. So, it looks like we've converted another GHCP.

    I'll turn it over to Todd so he can post his comments.

    Chip

    Chip

  • Well, where to begin? The Lissa Wales benefit concert was a show unlike any I've ever been to. It was a truly amazing experience - from the incredible seats we had to the mindboggling array of talent we were watching on the stage.

    Chip and I picked Shirean up at the Doubletree Hotel and, since the venue was not yet open, we stopped into a nearby pub for a drink. The Celebrity Theater parking lot was just starting to fill up around 5:30pm when we arrived, and after a brief wait we were let inside - except for Chip, who failed in his attempt to circumvent venue security with his unauthorized "professional" camera. After a quick trip back to the car, he joined Shirean and me at the bar inside. It was right around then that Chip attracted a new friend with his Soul Mover tour shirt - a nice fellow named Ken and his wife. After chatting a few minutes, the show got underway and we headed for our seats.

    First act of the evening was a tribal drum and dance troupe who were just finishing as we found our seats. And what seats they were - second row, just left of center, about five feet from the lip of the stage! The circular stage was set up with three drum kits and a wall of amplifiers. First up was Latin jazz combo Cinco de Moio, a Phoenix favorite. They were followed by ex-Alice Cooper/House of Lords drummer Ken Mary, who solo'd and played along with a jazz fusion track. Ken is a powerful drummer who, even after 20+ years in the biz, still looks about 16. He was impressive, as was NSync drummer Billy Ashbaugh, who also did a bit of instrumental fusion to a backing track.

    Marc Bonilla, Ed Roth and the rest of the house band took the stage to play the Cream classic "Badge" with Clapton/Tom Petty/Average White Band drummer Steve Ferrone. Steve had a few words to share about Lissa Wales, including a humorous story about an intervention at Sur La Table that resulted in his current ability to make kick-ass tamales. Next up was drummer David Garibaldi and his Tower of Power band mate Larry Bragg for the very hip "What Is Hip". The anticipation kicked up a notch with the introduction of famed Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine, who led the house band through "Make Me Smile" and a furious, barnstorming version of "25 or 6 to 4" that had the crowd on its feet and whipped to a froth! Danny appeared very grafeful and somewhat overwhelmed at the audience's response.

    Danny Seiwell of McCartney/Wings came out at this point. He played "Live and Let Die" and a jazz track. While he was very good, he had to follow Seraphine's great set, and seemed relatively tame in comparison. The great Carmine Appice and emcee Dom Famularo then took the stage for a bit of a drum-off. Now, I've never heard of Dom Famularo, and I thought "Oh man, Carmine's gonna show this guy a thing or two." Wrong - Dom Famularo wiped the floor with Carmine Appice in a duel that was at times funny (as when Carmine snapped his bass pedal and walked over to wrestle Famularo from his set to keep playing) and so intense that I think I may have actually broken a sweat myself!

    Marc Bonilla and the house band came back onstage to rip through King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man" with former Crimson drummer Ian Wallace - who was impressive on the most scaled-down drum set of the evening. Bonilla played guitar and sang the song admirably - it's a tricky tune to have learned on such short notice. Phoenix fave Jerry Riopelle played a couple acoustic songs, which then segued into a special acoustic appearance by Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band. Nils set up his own gear and launched into a breathtaking couple of songs including "No Mercy". Nils has a penchant for getting an incredibly diverse range of sounds from an acoustic guitar - from singing notes to chimes and percussion. He is truly a spectacular guitarist to behold. Event coordinator/Tesla drummer Troy Luccketta introduced his friends Jeff Keith and Frank Hannon from Tesla next - the duo wowed the crowd with a brand new acoustic song and the Tesla classic "What You Give" - certainly appropriate this night. That set was followed by the debut performance by Troy's new band Savile Row, which features Marc Bonilla on guitar. Cool stuff.

    Around this time came an auction of signed memorabilia - guitars, concert tickets, sports packages, etc. How strange to watch people around us bidding as the prices rose into the hundreds and even thousands. Of course, it was all for a good cause. We were reminded of that by a special series of video greetings to Lissa by the likes of Rod Morgenstein, Vinny Appice, Gregg Bissonette and Ringo Starr.

    Cher drummer Marc Shulman led the house band through a rousing, note-perfect rendition of the Edgar Winter nugget "Frankenstein", which got a great response. And then it was time. Time for what? Why, the Voice of Rock, of course - Big Daddy, the Funkmeister, Papa Glenn! He strode onstage in a rocking paisley print and took the audience by the short and curlies. "Whiter Shade of Pale" was first up, and featured a vocal that simply floored those who didn't know what to expect, and left those GHCP's in the audience nodding their heads in appreciation, as if to say "See what y'all have been missing?!" Then Marc ripped into the riff for "Burn", and Glenn and company tore into the song with abandon. Chad Smith was pounding the drums so furiously that he would often rise up off his stool to a standing position as he blazed away on those drum rolls. His toms and bass drum were rocking in place, and often shifting as he played. Glenn and Marc were locked and loaded in the middle of the stage, leering at each other during the solo break and Glenn's bass playing was inspired. Glenn drove it all home with a series of screams that quite simply blew everybody's mind. The small theater suddenly sounded like an arena. It was very gratifying to see the response he got.

    Right before Montrose took the stage, Glenn invited Shirean, me and Chip backstage for a chat. We found Glenn and Chad relaxing in the dressing room, and caught up on the recording of the new album, possible tour plans and the guys' performance. The show wrapped up and we got a few autographs as people were filing out. We convened at the Doubletree again for a drink or two, and as the bar filled up with more people it suddenly became very surreal. On one side of the room you'd see the drummer for Chicago talking with Ronnie Montrose and the drummer for NSync. Then on the other side you'd see Chad Smith talking with the guys from King Crimson and Wings. The amount of great music and classic tunes in that room was mind boggling. Eventually, a little over an hour ago, we had to call it a night. These things never go on as long as you'd like. They seem to be over as quick as they came, and it's always time for goodbyes too soon. Hopefully we got some great photos. I know for sure we've got some great memories. I'm glad I was able to share this concert with Chip and Shirean and, as always, I wish that more of you could have been there with us. It was truly a unique event. I don't know when I'll see another like it.

    Damn, it's late - and this post is long! I'm going cross-eyed typing, but wanted to get this all down before it escapes me tomorrow. Hope you got a sense of it all...

    Cheers..Todd

  • Quote from toadsterama

    Damn, it's late - and this post is long! I'm going cross-eyed typing, but wanted to get this all down before it escapes me tomorrow. Hope you got a sense of it all...

    Cheers..Todd



    As always, great review Todd & Chip. See folks, I'm not the only one that stays up late to get to the print presses in time :p Shirean teased me a bit by calling and letting the phone do the talking at key moments during the show - so was there in spirit, so to speak!

    Pleased to hear you had a great time. Shirean will be home tonight and will add her comments then, plus some great pix by all accounts. Thanks for making her feel welcome in Phoenix - wish we could of both been there, but it was my turn to do the babysitting :D

  • wow, excellent review :thumbup:

    Only from reading this, it kind of feels like I was there myself...
    :thumbup:
    Great!
    Looking forward to seeing those photos!

    Cheers,
    Christian


    MEDUSA

        

  • Thanks Mark, that's nice of you to say. Y'know, at one time or another we all gotta live vicariously through our fellow GHCP's. We just happened to be the lucky ones this time around. Next time, we may have to depend on our comrades across the pond to give us the inside skinny on the shows we can't get to in the UK, Spain or wherever.

    Cheers...Todd

  • Hey everyone, home at last after a 6-hour jaunt cross country (Mark Hoffman - I got to stop in Houston for 2 of them, shame about security, could of hooked up for a pint or two :D )

    Nice work Todd, looks like you covered everything from the evening's events. For me, a couple of highlights included the Tower Of Power set, Tesla acoustic, Nils Lofgren, the Carmine Appice drumoff with Dom Famularo and of course, Papa GLENN :)

    Even though it was only 2 songs (Whiter Shade Of Pale and Burn), he pulled out all the stops and made the long journey worth every minute of the trip. He does it everytime! Amazing!! Would of been nice to hear Nights In White Satin or even Stormbringer, but what with the time constraints on each artist, it wasn't to be. Just having the Glenn and Chad Experience on a US stage is a blessing - what great chemistry!

    Thanks to Chip and Todd for showing me Phoenix and being the chauffeurs for the night - I owe you one, but minus the beer flys please :lol:

    Finally, BIG BIG thanks to Glenn and Chad for the warm reception and spending the time, especially this morning at breakfast when we were all tired and had to drag ourselves back to the airport!

    Looking forward to the next one - here, there, anywhere!! Meanwhile, here are a couple of pix of the special benefit, hope the money they raised helps Lissa. You can find a lot more over in the Live Pictures & Tourdates section.

    Cheers,
    Shirean

    PS:
    Todd - how old was Ken Mary (House Of Lords drummer)???

    15, 18 or what :p

  • Hey Shirean! Would have had to be a pint or two of Orange juice! (I'm working nights). I think the travel security whoas are here to stay- unfortunately :( But anytime you or any GHCP has a stay over here in Houston... Let me know! I'd be glad to stop over at either Airport- just a hop away!

    Thanks for posting some great pics for us... been a long time since I've got to see Papa- I'm envious of you guys! Sure hope an oppertunity comes soon. It's gone beyond just seeing Glenn perform- it's also about looking forward to seeing the great people that show up for Glenn's performances too.

    I really would love to have seen the other artists too... mostly Ronnie Montrose- I've been a fan of his since he was in the Edger Winter Group- and I've never seen him perform! Would have really liked to seen the recent Montrose reunions with Sammy!
    Why no pictures of Ronnie? Back stage by then?

    Mark

  • I see Glenn played the same bass he used in New Jersey- I really like the looks of it- and it looks like a nice size and lighter weight than the Jazz (which is what I've been looking at). Does anyone know what brand it is? I have been toying with the idea of getting a bass lately. I thought real hard about one of Glenn's signature models... but it's a little pricey and I haven't seen him use it too often, so I'm guessing if Glenn favors something else...so would I!

    M.

  • Great review Todd - and my buddy Chip. what a great line up of artists.
    Glenn's perfomance of WSOP on the Legends tour is still the highlight of any so far for me.

    I guess i'll have to make do with Graham Bonnet at the start of October and Chad at the end ;)

    :ghcp: "It's in my blood"

  • Another thing that I love about being a GHCP.......

    Eventually, thanks to the GH experience,
    we could all get jobs as "Rock Photographers"
    or reporters.

    Thanks for the comments/impressions/photos.......

    SHIREAN, CHIP AND TODD!

    :claphands :thumbup: :claphands :thumbup: :claphands :thumbup: :claphands

    axmuremoticon.gif

  • Quote from Mark Hoffman

    I see Glenn played the same bass he used in New Jersey- I really like the looks of it- and it looks like a nice size and lighter weight than the Jazz (which is what I've been looking at). Does anyone know what brand it is? I have been toying with the idea of getting a bass lately. I thought real hard about one of Glenn's signature models... but it's a little pricey and I haven't seen him use it too often, so I'm guessing if Glenn favors something else...so would I!

    M.

    I believe it's a Victor Wooten Monarch 4 String Fodera Yin-Yang Signature Series Bass. Here's a shot from NAMM earlier in the year, where he's giving one a workout :)

  • Hey Todd,

    I had to chuckle when I read your comment regarding Dom Famularo and how Carmine Appice was going to show him a thing or three. Dom may not be a household name but his reputation as both a technician and a teacher is stellar! Dom is something of a homeboy to me as well; he is a fellow graduate of Baldwin Senior High School and one of his early gigs was with a band called the Seven Up-Beats , a band that was built along the lines of Herb Alpert and The Tiajuana Brass. My oldest brother, Stuart, was one of the trumpet players.

    In 1980, my senior year in high school, I was in a music theory class. Dr. Melinda Edwards, who taught the class and was also the choir director, got Dom to speak to our class and one story he told was pretty funny. The details are a bit fuzzy after all this time, but the gist of it is that he was taking drum lessons from Joe Morello and Joe asked Dom to sit down and play. When Dom was finished, Joe sat down behind the kit and played EXACTLY what Dom had just played..with one arm held behind his back! He related tales of doing session work and how producers could drive you nuts..they ask you to play a certain beat...ask you to spice it up a bit...and by the time they get what they want, you are playing what you started out with!

    Man, I am sorry that I couldn't get time off to make that trip....that must have been a mind blowing evening! :bouncer:

    All that.and Glenn too....how chrome plated cool is that??:thumbup:

    Yours In The Funk
    Bill "Capt. Midnite" Redford

    :ghcp:

    http://www.facebook.com/bill.redford

    "Cause if you fake the FUNK..your nose got to grow!" Bootsy Collins

  • Quote from Mark Hoffman

    .

    I really would love to have seen the other artists too... mostly Ronnie Montrose- I've been a fan of his since he was in the Edger Winter Group- and I've never seen him perform! Would have really liked to seen the recent Montrose reunions with Sammy!


    Mark

    Fear not oh Montrose fan... Ronnie and Sammy are planning to do numerous shows together either later in 2005 or early 2006.

    Montrose is playing a few off shows here and there out West if you have time..check out his website.

    Too bad Glenn and Ronnie did not do a reprise of the "Mark and Brian Show". Glenn and Ronnie are the best one-two punch I have possibly ever heard.

    Frank:div27:
    "if only we'd turn around and notice the door to the cell is open"

  • im sorry to say that the women who the benefit for has passed away peacefully ...glenn and i are honored to have been part of the event. the money that was raised will go to paying for her funeral.

    i miss you

Join in now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our Community!