Graham Parker and the Latest Clowns ~ 2007 May 04 ~ Bull Run Restaurant, Shirley, MA
Band Personnel: Graham Parker (lead vocals, Gibson acoustic guitar, Fender electric guitar, harmonica); Mike Gent (drums, guitar, backing vocals); Brett Rosenberg (guitar, backing vocals); Ed Valauskas (bass, backing vocals); Scott Janovitz (keyboards, backing vocals)
Set List (with guitars noted)
[Gibson acoustic]: I Discovered America - Hard Side of the Rain - [Fender electric]: England's Latest Clown - Get Started. Start a Fire - You Can't Take Love for Granted - [Gibson acoustic]: They Murdered the Clown - Suspension Bridge - Other Side of the Reservoir - Bullet of Redemption - [Fender electric]: Weeping Statues - Durban Poison - [new blue guitar from First Act Studio]: Break Them Down - [Fender electric]: Sailing Shoes (with Mike on guitar) - White Honey (with Mike on guitar) - Hotel Chambermaid (with Mike on guitar) - You Can't Be Too Strong (with Ed/Scott) - [Gibson acoustic]: Waiting for the UFOs - [Fender electric]: Nobody Hurts You - Syphilis & Religion ... encore ... [Gibson acoustic]: All Being Well (with Brett) - Glass Jaw - [Fender electric]: Wake Up (Next To You) ... second encore ... [Fender electric]: Tornado Alley - Back to School Days
GP also played harmonica on "I Discovered America" and "Syphilis and Religion"
Review
The Bull Run in Shirley, Mass. is located in what is commonly referred to as "the Middle of Nowhere." After driving about twenty miles down a deserted country road, you arrive at the venue, gawk at the plastic bull on the roof of the building, drive across a genuine New England covered bridge to park your car, and when you go in you think you're in a wedding reception hall (cloth tablecloths, frilly draperies). You think you're in some sort of Rock 'n' Roll Twilight Zone. But once the music starts, all that is forgotten; the sound is very good, the stage is very big; and on this particular May night, the music was on fire.
Concert Going Partner and I arrived at 6:00 and staked out a spot at our reserved table just as GP & the LC were leaving the room after their sound check. We ordered food from the not particularly interesting menu. The Bull Run doesn't require any minimum food order so next time I think I'll get a pizza elsewhere and come just for the music. The staff are great, however; the MC and sound guy are top notch pros and the wait staff are good at their jobs, too.
At 8:00 on came the opener, Eric Lilljequist, who also opened here for GP last June. He is a very adept player and singer who looks a bit like GP, except no dark glasses. He played a satisfyingly varied 30 minute set including blues chestnuts, a couple of originals, and the fabulous slow ballad version of "She Loves You."
GP & the Clowns opened with the four that have opened every show this tour, three from the new record (I'm pretty sure GP said "stolen TV set" instead of "broken TV set" in "I Discovered America") and the blistering "Get Started. Start a Fire." (I wonder if this is the only rock song ever recorded with a period in the middle of the title? A title of two sentences, both of which are an imperative.) The set list proceeded in a similar manner to other shows but with some additional songs.
"They Murdered the Clown" sounded the best yet, with the circus sound-effects being supplied by the energetic Scott on keyboards, followed by another song featuring a great keyboard part, "Suspension Bridge." I think GP was considering skipping the overly long "Other Side of the Reservoir" but Mike made sure they played it in its usual spot. Next, the band quickly regained their momentum with the fab "Bullet of Redemption."
GP wore the familiar blue striped shirt. The rest of the guys in the band were all dressed nicely; Brett looked dapper with his patched jeans and stylish hat.
After "Bullet" they did a fabulous "Weeping Statues," in which Graham was seen grinning to himself on some of the best lines, like "Elvis only shows up when he's hungry"; it seemed GP was enjoying how clever this song is. He acted very lively throughout the show, striking a lot of Rock Star poses, even getting down on his knees with his guitar at one point. He bantered with the audience quite a lot for a band show, saying he would tell more jokes next time when it was a solo show, and encouraging everyone to come hear him when he performs solo. (This fan is glad to hear he's thinking ahead to what's next after the band tour is done.)
"Durban Poison" was next, and it was the first time in the shows I've seen that it worked as a singalong; there were enough audience members who knew the words. "Break Them Down" followed with GP playing lead on his shiny new blue guitar.
The GP Duo segment (Mike and Graham) was next. People in the audience were yelling out requests for songs like "Temporary Beauty" and "Hotel Chambermaid"; GP said it wasn't a solo show where he could do anything he wanted. The Duo's performance of "White Honey" worked this time as a singalong, because GP demanded we sing just the word "bop" -- NOW that's a good easy singalong (the "honey watcha doin watcha doin watcha doin downtown" part is just a little too tricky). When that was done Mike whispered something in Graham's ear, and GP said, "okay, Mike says he knows this song so we'll give it a go," and they played a spontaneous version of the requested "Hotel Chambermaid," in which Mike's backing vocals added a lot to the familiar solo version.
Off went Mike and on came Scott and Ed. This technique of having only one or two of the band members accompany GP on some of the songs was a very good feature of this tour. The GP Trio performed "You Can't Be Too Strong" and then were rejoined by the rest of the Clowns for "Waiting for the UFOs," another good singalong, with one clever dude in the audience even filling in the phrase "we are ..." in the appropriate spot. Mike also complimented an audience member on his air drumming. This was by far the best audience of the tour. The fabulous "Nobody Hurts You" and "Syphilis and Religion," one of GP's very best angry songs, finished the main set.
Off went the band to howls from the audience; they returned for the GP Duo Build 2 with Brett on guitar, and the beautiful "All Being Well," that lovely ode to the joy of carrying a long term romance into the later years. Then the whole band for the incredibly good "Glass Jaw" (another keyboard song) and "Wake Up (Next To You)" complete with band intros and the Motown section. Off stage again; the MC who was sitting to the left of the stage got on the mike and entreated the crowd to make more noise; and on came GP & Co. for a complete surprise, the fab country rocker "Tornado Alley" from Your Country and the final encore of "Back to School Days."
It was the best show I'd seen of this tour. The energy and enthusiasm from both GP and his bandmates were at their peak, GP's playing and singing were top notch, and the total number of songs (24) was the most of any show yet this tour. I think having a couple of nights off before this show did the guys good; there were no signs of fatigue like at Fairfield the previous weekend; and also having such a good crowd was a help, too. The Latest Clowns as a band were very good from the start of the tour, but they really came together perfectly at this show.
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