A mostly positive experience!
by AlexBE on 2/21/11Embassy Theatre - Fort WayneRating: 4 out of 5Okay, let's start off by saying I'm a bit of a local music virgin around Fort Wayne, so I had no familiarity with any of the bands going into the show. But The Cure, John Mellencamp, Earth Wind & Fire, Tom Petty, and The Beatles? I was bound to have fun.
First up was Wooden Satellites, playing The Cure. This was a fairly basic set, and aside from the female vocalist, the band doesn't *really* possess much stage presence, but the covers were well done, if a bit truncated in the case of "Pictures of You". The high point was actually their original offering, as they were allowed one. They played "When Fast At Home" from their album Let's Make Crimes. The band experienced a failed amp during the last two songs, but they still managed to pull it off. This set was enough to get me to buy the CD immediately after their set and seek out future dates. *** (of ****)
Next was Dash Rip Rock, covering John Mellencamp. While their lead singer's voice isn't really "Mellencampesque", the band had incredible energy and created a thoroughly enjoyable set, involving the crowd at several points, most notably "R.O.C.K. In The USA". The band took more of a medley approach to Mellencamp's work, cutting from one song to another nearly instantly. One gets the feeling that these guys have honed their stage presence for quite some time, and I would love to see them play again. ****
The middle set was from Urban Legend, playing the music of Earth, Wind, & Fire. These guys managed to nail the pop and soul, if not the funk, aspects of their chosen band. All three vocalists performed well despite a minor cord issue that almost tripped one of the ladies. The high points of the set were, of course, a raucous rendition of "September" and a wonderfully harmonic "After The Love Is Gone". I think the set suffered a bit from the lack of live horns, but all things considered, it was quite enjoyable. *** of ****
Fourth up was Kill The Rabbit. These guys have won multiple local awards, they have a killer stage presence, and they sound *great*. That said, Tom Petty was probably not the best choice for these guys to cover. Petty's trademark vocal style was entirely absent as were most of the subtle nuances. I'd love to see KTR play their own stuff -- they played one song, and it was excellent -- but in the context of this show, I was not as impressed as I expected to be. **
Last and certainly not least were Dave Todoran and Kenny Taylor. These two performed in the 80s together in the Red Belly Boys, with each going on to have a moderately successful local music career. This show was the first time the duo had played together in 20 years, but it did not show. Armed with two acoustic guitars and their voices, they started with early Beatles material, working their way up to Let it Be. "I've Just Seen A Face" was excellent, though "Eleanor Rigby" could have used a few backup vocalists to flesh out the harmonies. These guys were great, and I hope it's not another twenty years before we see them together again! ***