The Slambovian Circus of Dreams ~ 2015 May 1 ~ Bull Run Restaurant ~ Shirley, MA
Band Personnel: Joziah Longo, lead vocals, guitar, harmonica; Sharkey McEwen, guitar, mandolin, backing and lead vocals; Tink Lloyd, accordion, cello, tambourine, cowbell, banjo, theremin, backing vocals; Eric Puente, drums.
Set List
Grand Slambovians - Picture - Come Out Wherever You Are {short bit} - Very Happy Now/Epistle to Dippy/I Wanna Be Sedated - Turn Turn Turn {short bit} - Very Unusual Head - Summer's Day - Lost Highway - Yellow Submarine - Flapjacks From the Sky - Oh Susanna intro / Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express ... intermission ... Holy Rollers - Big Eight Wheeler - Suddenly It's Christmas {short bit} - Box of Everything - Talkin' to the Buddha - Alice In Space ... encore ... Tink (I Know It's You) - I Don't Want a Pickle {one line} - Golden Slumbers intro / The Invisible
Videos
Summer's Day
Holy Rollers
Big Eight Wheeler
Alice In Space
Review
The Circus really returned to the top of their form at this show at the very familiar Bull Run in extremely rural Shirley, Mass. They did have a little making up to the audience to do. The last time they played the Bull Run, they were late, sloppy, and played a very short show. Given how much they love this venue, and how good this venue has been to them over the years, they knew they owed the fans a top-of-the-line performance, and that's just what they delivered.
The show featured several of their longer, anthemic songs, the songs that tend to be the audience favorites. Not only did they play "BiPolar Express" (abbreviated TSBPE on their stage set list), but they played "Talking to the Buddha," "Alice In Space," "Tink (I Know It's You)" (my personal favorite), and they even played "Flapjacks From the Sky."
While Tink Lloyd, multi-instrumentalist, was setting up the theremin for "Flapjacks," there was a pause on stage and Joziah realized the rest of the band needed to play something to give Tink time to set up. An audience member yelled out for "Yellow Submarine," and the guys obliged. Easy singalong, but next time I'm going to be prepared with something from deeper in the big book of rock 'n' roll for such a moment!
I have heard the Circus play "Flapjacks" about six times, and this was the best performance I have ever heard. Tink herself agreed when I commented to her during the intermission that the theremin sounded great. The tones were clear, they were loud, and the instrument was making the sounds Tink herself wanted it to make. She played it by waving her hands in front of the machine, but she also used body language to get it to emit its unearthly howls. Other times I have seen the band play this song, most of the ethereal wails came from Sharkey's guitar, but tonight he was just backing up the theremin.
Another reason that this was one of the best Circus shows I've ever seen was the choice of material. Joziah scattered in a few one- or two-line improvs during the course of the evening, which was fun, but the band also chose to play a couple of rare numbers, both of which are songs I just love: "Summer's Day," to honor the fact that today was May Day (not exactly summer, but getting close); and "Big Eight Wheeler," a song that apparently Eric and Sharkey both enjoy playing. They did one new song, the uptempo rocker "Holy Rollers," on which Tink played a banjo, thus adding one more to the list of wildly varying musical instruments she can play in this band.
To end the main set, the band played the joyful "Alice In Space," which has recently made a reappearance in their setlists after some years of being given a rest; and then for an encore they played not one, but two of my favorites: "Tink (I Know It's You)," on which Sharkey makes his mandolin talk in a way that you will never hear anywhere else; and the lovely, calming lullaby, "The Invisible," to close the show.
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