Slambovian Circus of Dreams ~ 2022 June 10 ~ Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, MA
Band Personnel: Joziah Longo, lead vocals, guitar, mandolin; Tink Lloyd, flute, accordion, sitar, keyboard, recorder, bell, ukulele, melodica, vocals; Sharkey McEwen, guitar, mandolin, vocals; Matthew Abourezk, drums; R.J. McCarty, keyboard; Bob Torsello, bass.
Set List
Step Outta Time - Look Around - Beez - Pluto's Plight - Fi - Gates of Eden {Dylan} - Solve It All Dali - Everyone's Dumb In Their Own Special Way - Very Unusual Head ... intermission ... Cape Cod Girls {traditional} - Holy Rollers - Brilliantly, Brilliantly Dumb - Never Fit - Circus of Dreams - Tink (I Know It's You) - Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express
Scroll to below videos for a review of the show.
Videos
Fi
Solve It All Daily
Cape Cod Girls
Tink (I Know It's You)
Review
We hadn't seen Joziah and Company since before the crazy time. I bought the tickets as soon as they went on sale, scoring the first two seats in the front row on the Sharkey side. Our friends and top tier Circus fans Marie and Joe were next to us, and what a pleasure it was to spend this special evening with them.
The band has evolved in terms of personnel, and they're very much at the top of the game. Part of that has to do with Ed the soundman and the rest of the staff at the Spire, who really do a first-rate job with sound. The top three Slambovians remain the same, of course; Joziah and Tink ARE Slambovia, and it looks like Sharkey is back in the band to stay. The three backing musicians all performed splendidly and added to the visual dynamic on stage. Long-haired R.J. McCarty, who played bass the last time we saw him but tonight provided keyboards, moved around excitedly at his keyboard, adding to the fun of watching. Bob Torsello, the more or less regular bass player for the last few years, also adds enthusiasm with his can't-help-myself bopping around the stage. Matthew Abourezk was rock steady on the drums, and he has also been involved with production. I am told Felipe Torres is no longer affiliated with the band, and I wish the stylish and talented Felipe happy trails wherever his muse leads him.
The set list was quite a bit different from what it was the last time I saw this band, but that was some time ago. They have a new album out and they played several songs from it. Several of these songs are familiar to Slambovian fans since they have either been in the live show rotation or, in a few cases, have appeared on previous releases, but it is very nice to have this group of splendid songs so well recorded and available in one place.
Tonight they played a good long show, about two hours with an intermission. The full sound, with six musicians on stage, was very pleasing to the ear. Joziah was his usual talkative self, telling entertaining stories about the songs and about anything and everything. And he looked great, wearing a shirt with an eye-pleasing psychedelic pattern. Tink and Sharkey were also decked out nicely in their best stage clothes. There was a big screen at the back of the stage where a light show played, adding to the upbeat tempo of the show, and then during "BiPolar Express" images of a railroad train displayed. When Joziah asked after the first song how many in the audience had never seen the band, he forgot to make the band introductions. One can understand that the routine might be a little rusty! Merch Girl Cindy wasn't there, and the table was staffed by Bob Torsello's wife.
One special treat was the rousing singalong "Cape Cod Girls"; even though Plymouth isn't Cape Cod, it's close enough to dust off this beloved chestnut. And they dug into the archives to play a handful of the fan base's most beloved Slambovian originals, including "Circus of Dreams" (a song Joziah had written long before he formed the band); "Tink (I Know It's You)" (the song with that jaw dropping slide mandolin); and "Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express" (the band's theme song).
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