Ray Davies and the Rock Band ~ 2008 December 8 ~ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI
Setlist
I Need You [with guitarist] - Where Have All the Good Times Gone - Father Christmas - Apeman - See My Friends - Dedicated Follower of Fashion - Morphine Song - Harry Ray - Sunny Afternoon [with two guitarists] - The Getaway (Lonesome Train) - Dead End Street [with full band] - Vietnam Cowboys - Celluloid Heroes - Working Man's Cafe - The Tourist - Shangri-La - Misfits - Come Dancing ... encore ... Low Budget - You Really Got Me ... second encore ... Lola
Review
I've seen Ray solo with a band three times, and this was the best of the three. Lupo's in Providence is a better venue than the Orpheum, where I have seen him twice, and his band is much improved.
Lupo's is an old converted movie theater with a decent sized stage raised high enough so people can see. There was a premium seating section in the front, with about 10 rows, and it was worth the reasonable additional cost to sit there. Very good visibility for anyone in that section. Behind this section one can stand and watch, although I don't think there's a huge amount of good standing room. The bulk of the seating is in the balcony, which because of its steep slope, also provides very good views. It's a shabby old building with some of its art deco cinema features still intact -- chandeliers, a (non-functioning) marble water bubbler -- but it has its charm. Once the lights go on at the end of the night, one sees how decrepit it really is, but once you turn off the (living room) light, that doesn't matter. The place has character.
Worst thing about the venue is the the parking, or lack thereof. Next time I go to a show there I will investigate public transit options, since I saw city buses driving right by while I was circling the block numerous times looking for parking. I finally got lucky and found an on street spot about three block from Lupo's, but most of the folks I talked to said they had spent $20 or more to park in a garage.
Another improvement this time around was the opening band, a 4-piece rock band called Locksley, from Madison, Wisconsin. ("It's the Providence of the Midwest!" they said.) They had a British invasion/1950s vibe to them that was very listenable indeed, and they really looked like a rock band. They were cute, all of them sang well, they shared microphones while singing (think Paul and George), they had a HIGH energy level, and they looked like different types -- one had a preppy look, another a working-class look, etc. They were so good my concert going partner bought their CD and it's been spinning on my turntable ever since.
Ray himself seemed quite relaxed and in a good mood. It's true that he sat for more than half of the show, but hey, the guy is a 64 year old man who suffered a gunshot wound to the leg four years ago, and the fact that he's doing this much is truly remarkable. He did stand and even danced around for a few of the songs in the second half of the show. Ray just can't do "Low Budget" without a certain amount of prancing around on stage.
The show began with Ray and one other guitarist sitting on stools. They played an acoustic set of about eight songs. Ray's choice of "I Need You" to start the show made me wonder, since his brother Dave Davies opened many shows with a rockin' version of that song during his solo touring years. But Ray's version is so quiet it's really a different song. He included a folksy "Father Christmas" and a touching "See My Friends," which he said was inspired by the death of his older sister. The highlight of the acoustic part of the show was "The Morphine Song," a song that is unique in Ray's katalog in that it tells a specific autobiographical story, apparently completely factual. The horrible incident of being wounded by gunfire became a powerful motivator to this masterful songwriter.
After the opening seven songs, Ray sang "Harry Rag" to cover up while the rest of his musicians were coming out onto stage and setting up, and during the next couple of songs the rest of the band gradually joined in. He referred to his backing musicians as "the rock band" -- I think they need a name. During "The Tourist" Ray went off stage to change his clothes. I was expecting the Union Jack/Old Glory jacket, but maybe it has finally hit the rag bag. Instead, he changed into a pullover zippered top. Although it was somewhat nondescript, he did look fit and trim wearing it.
The musical highlight of the night without a doubt was "Shangri-La." Ray introduced the song by saying this year was the 40th anniversary of Village Green Preservation Society, but instead of playing something from that record he would play something from the record that came out the next year, Arthur. I'm not sure the performance of "Shangri-La" was actually all that good, but nobody cared; what a thrill it was to hear that incredible song performed live. There was a short bit of "Misfits" at one point that I think may have been impromptu. Another musical highlight was "You Really Got Me," which the band began by playing like a slow blues. Ray told the story of the evolution of the song, giving credit to Dave Davies for inserting the musical elements into the song that turned it from the slow blues it was when he wrote it into the perfect rock 'n' roll record that it became. He described Dave's creation of the familiar riff and said that when he played the riff, "he played himself into rock 'n' roll history," and then the band broke out of blues mode and played the song like the rock song that it is. It was a very effective way of presenting a song we have all heard ten gazillion times.
All in all, Ray was witty, lively and entertaining, although his voice sounded tired. I like this version of Ray's band better than previous bands, but there is one problem. When Ray referred to his musicians, he kept calling them "the rock band." Of course, there was a band called The Band, but I don't think it works for Ray to call his backups The Rock Band.
Ray's band needs a name. For an example I will cite Graham Parker, who, whenever he assembles a band for a tour, gives them a name. Last time out he used a song title from his current album and called his band "The Latest Clowns." I think Ray should do the same.
I like "The Tourists" for the name of his band. "Ray Davies and The Tourists." I think it sounds nice.