[Mael-list] Rock Rock ROCK!

[David Younker]

  Sue and everyone, I’m sorry we didn’t get to meet you last night and share the fantastic evening. I never imagined at this age (I turn 21 again later this year) I’d say that was the greatest rock show I’ve ever seen, but that’s exactly what last night’s performance was. The new album is marvellous and I looked forward to hearing it live, but I was completely unprepared for how Sparks made it rock rock rock! If we had been booted out of the hall after the first few songs, we’d have gone home deliriously happy. ‘Dick Around’ simply stood our hair on end with its ferocious roar and Russell's most inspired vocal.  My favorite song of the first half, and it's hard to pick one, was, much to my surprise, Rock Rock Rock, performed with such a blistering punch I’ll never think of it the same again. 
   
  Dan’s comment about the set list for the second half was spot on. I had thought how great it would be to hear Sparks play a bunch of songs we’d never heard live before – you know, screw the past (as great as it’s been), let’s have them pull some different nuggets out of their long and brilliant collection. How surprising and thrilling to listen to the second set unfold very much that way, with several songs we had never heard performed at the 6 shows we’ve now been to:
   
  Happy Hunting Ground
  Bon Voyage
  In The Future
  Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
  Hospitality On Parade
  The Number One Song In Heaven
  Music That You Can Dance To
  I Predict
  This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us
  Amateur Hour
  - Encore -
  How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall?
  Suburban Homeboy
  Change
   
  We were on the floor near the left of the stage with a bird’s eye view of Ron during the first set, with Dean and Josh just behind him. Dean and Josh have a great onstage rapport, and they seemed to feed off one another’s energy all evening. The guitars were certainly not lost in the mix this time! New guys Josh and Steve really are first rate musicians, and they mesh with the band so well. It was wonderful to see them having such a good time, and lord knows we hope they stay on with Sparks. I don’t recall seeing Tammy nearly as animated or having as much fun before either. In fact, everyone seemed to have more fun than I remember at recent shows. I thought Russell didn’t smile much during the LB concert, and we thought he didn’t seem to be having much fun, but he was clearly having a ball last night.
   
  Russell’s voice was in superb form – no surprise there! We got a night-long eyeful of him belting out song after song, and he really put all of himself into every line – just electrifying watching and listening to him.
   
  Even Russell’s intro of the other band members was charming and funny, especially when he said of Ron "he writes most of the songs
.. except for the few really good ones, which I wrote
." That’s when he cooed "Pineapple, pineapple

. Gone with the wind
." which made Josh and Dean double over with laughter. Russell said, "Hey those are classics!"
   
  It’s been said many times before in the reviews: The fact that these guys can have such vim and vigor and creativity here in their fourth decade of making music is nothing short of amazing. 
   
  I so wish I’d met some of you last night and shared the moment. I really appreciate Sue’s fine work. We’ve all lamented what appeared to be somewhat tepid management in recent years, and Sue’s energy and professionalism are such a breath of fresh air. The labels, Gut and In The Red, are also toiling heroically. I appreciate Larry sending me posters and leaflets which we posted and handed out near The Block in Orange County and in Newport Beach. (I was thrilled to see one of my posters still up near The Block on Thursday!)
   
  Okay, this is the worst review ever. Somehow I thought I had more to say, but I’m operating on about 3 hours of broken sleep, and Rock Rock Rock is bashing over and over again in my head (fortunately!) 
   
  - David

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