Graham Parker ~ 2025 May 11 ~ The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), Natick, M Graham Parker, vocals, Gibson acoustic guitar, Fender electric guitar, harmonica, kazoo Set List Gibson acoustic: Force of Nature - Stop Crying About the Rain - Silly Thing - Success - Cruel Stage - harmonica: Last Stretch of the Road - kazoo: Urban Spaceman {Neil Innis/Bonzo Dog Band} - harmonica: Socks 'n' Sandals - Fender electric:Between You and Me - Lady Doctor - You Hit the Spot - Stick To Me - Protection - Back To School Days - Don't Let It Break You Down ... encore ... Gibson acoustic: Hold Back the Night {The Trammps} - Not If It Pleases Me - Fender electric:Don't Ask Me Questions Review I was in the second row for this show. Not sure if all the members of the venue snatched up the plum tickets, or if I was just asleep when the tickets went on sale, but it meant that I had to aim the camera between heads in front of me. Good thing I had a good set of photos from the Bull Run from the week before. So I decided that I would only take pictures while GP was telling stories between songs, not while he was actually performing. Turns out most of the good pictures I did get were during his kazoo warmup. He played one song using the kazoo, "I'm the Urban Spaceman" by Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (Neil Innes), a song I wasn't familiar with, but the Monty Python fans in the audience knew all about it. It's always great to hear the Chairman pull these obscurities out of the Big Book of Rock 'n Roll. He played mostly the same set as last week at the Bull Run but with one especially good addition, "Don't Let It Break You Down." Unlike many other times I've seen GP solo, he didn't talk about the political situation in America, but this song said everything he wanted to say without being specific. He also subbed "Don't Ask Me Questions" for "Local Girls" for the encore. He was wearing a similar jacket and trousers as last week at the Bull Run but a more colorful red t-shirt. Again he got a lot of comic fodder from the wrist and hand injuries, and went into more detail about what happened. Dehydration during a day long festival in England led to a visit to hospital which led to various complications, and now our favorite songwriter is battling long term pinched nerves and all kinds of things. He told about it, whilst at the same time trying to explain British rhyming slang to a sold-out audience of baffled Americans, who all the while are tapping their toes, singing along, and enjoying every minute! Unfortunately daughter Natalie couldn't make this gig to work the merch table, but the club volunteer who took over was extremely knowledgeable about GP's musical history and sold a copy of each of the three vinyls they had (Last Chance to Learn the Twist, Acid Bubblegum, and Deepcut to Nowhere) to probably the youngest audience goer, a young man who was truly excited to score those copies, and when I mentioned that Pete Donnelly from the Figgs plays on Deepcut, his eyes lit up. Geepsters, there is indeed a younger generation of Parkeristas out there! Before the show I had gone to an album of photos from 2004 and fished out the very first photo ever taken of me with Geep, at the show at the Narrows in Fall River, MA on Feb. 20, 2004. I scanned the photo, printed a copy and brought it to show to him. We were both a lot younger in that photo -- twenty-one years younger. Anything for a laugh. As he was signing merch and chatting up concert goers at the merch table after the show, he enjoyed seeing that picture, and asked if I'd like him to sign it. So I now have this picture among my favored possessions, adorned with GP's signature and a discreet little heart from him to me (that I probably shouldn't mention here). The picture (before he signed it) is lower down on this page. This was my 59th time seeing Graham in concert in the past 21 years, mostly in the 2004 through 2012 years. Whether I'll be seeing him again depends on how his physical challenges evolve. He clearly loves doing this. My hope is that the dreadful This is Forty movie, as bad as it was, was a financial windfall for him, as well as the reunion with the Rumour. The resulting tours, and hopefully increased record sales, from those segments of the musical public who don't care about Graham Parker unless the words And The Rumour are appended afterwards, hopefully made the euros in his bank accounts plentiful enough that he really doesn't have to do this, and he can just step back quietly to live the life of a retired English gentleman. And if he feels like doing so, he can chat up his neighbors about the days he was a music star back in America. As I write this, looking on his website I see only one concert scheduled on the west coast, when I am sure there had been a tour of several shows, meaning that a few have been cancelled. And there is one last show, his annual visit to Brit's Pub in Milwaukee in July. So, if any of you reading this are on the fence about going to Brit's Pub, don't hesitate. That may be Graham's farewell to America. Please don't let the fellow go without a rousing thank you. More Chairman Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Graham Parker.
The Chairman
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of the concert
