Slambovian Circus of Dreams ~ 2016 December 9 ~ Tupelo Music Hall ~ Londonderry, NH
Band Personnel: Joziah Longo, lead vocals, guitar, harmonica; Sharkey McEwen, guitar, mandolin, vocals; Felipe Torres, drums, percussion; Tink Lloyd, accordion, flute, sitar, mandolin, tambourine, cowbell, bells, backing vocals; Bob Torsello, bass.
Set List
Slambovia - Silver Bells - I Know Where the Bees Have Gone {new song} - Winter Wonderland - Very Unusual Head - Bike - Little Drummer Boy - When Christmas Comes - Green Acres / Joy to the World - Suddenly It's Christmas ... intermission ... Night Before Christmas / Pressed Rat & Warthog - Every Little Light - I Wish It Was Christmas Today {Sharkey on vocal} - Evenings Like This - Ring Of Fire {snip} - Oh Susanna intro / Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express ... encore ... Sisters Of Mercy {Leonard Cohen, snip} - In a Gadda Da Vida {snip} - America {Simon & Garfunkel, snip} - Golden Slumbers intro / The Invisible - Angels We Have Heard On High / Gloria
Videos
Silver Bells
Joy to the World
Every Little Light
Review
The Circus played their annual enjoyable Christmas show at this sold-out southern New Hampshire venue.
Tink must enjoy these Christmas shows since they give her a chance to play some instruments she doesn't often get to use, such as the sitar ("Little Drummer Boy"), mandolin (the Joziah original "Every Little Light"), and flute ("Bike"). Sharkey also shone in this concert, revelling in the lead vocal on the punk holiday classic, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today."
Affable Bob Torsello on bass rounded out the sound. Everyone was dressed nicely for the occasion. Sharkey looked spiffy in the '60s bellbottoms and a ruffled tunic. Tink looked especially nice in horizontally striped tights. Bob got in the act with his "Mad Hatter" hat. The stage itself was adorned with lights, a tree, and much greenery.
The Christmas shows aren't typical visits to Slambovia, but the band included a few of their own songs ("Very Unusual Head," "BiPolar") along with their interpretations of Christmas classics. Some of those interpretations are pretty nutty, such as Joziah reciting the poem "The Night Before Christmas" to the music of the Cream song "Pressed Rat & Warthog"; the inclusion of the theme to 'Green Acres' as an intro to the Christmas carol "Joy the World"; and no other band would have ever thought of combining the Them song "Gloria" with the Christmas carol "Angels We Have Heard On High." Joziah seemed to be in a very happy place, tossing out a few short improvs of songs the band has never played, and also a more or less complete version of a new song (possibly called "I Know Where the Bees Have Gone") that he was asked to write by a bee scientist.
The only thing missing was the light show the band often uses for their Christmas shows, with images of snowflakes and tree ornaments projected on the wall behind them, but the ripply curtain illuminated by multi-colored lights at Tupelo was an attractive backdrop. The Tupelo Music Hall is a smallish concert hall in this suburban town about an hour north of Boston. The show was sold out and the parking lot is small, and there were volunteers directing concertgoers to where to park. There is food served, a short but perfectly adequate menu of sandwiches and appetizers. The stage is big enough for the five musicians, but not with a lot of space to spare. Tonight the venue was arranged with tables seating six, which made for a somewhat crowded feeling, but with such good Christmas cheer provided by the band, everybody went home happy.
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