BRAIN: Regal Tones Show Review, Take Two (sorry gang!)

[Jason Scruton]

(This is it, boys and girls. I figured I had no right to be stingy with the 
adjectives for a concert as rare as this'un. Enjoy. Feedback always greatly 
appreciated.  - Jason)

3 hours before the show I was sitting in a restaurant's patio dining space 
with my parents. The table to the right of us had five people gathered 
'round it, deep in reminiscing-mode about the bands they saw in high 
school. My ears zoomed in like radar as soon as I heard the words "Albert" 
"Elks Club"  "Joe" "Regal-Tones" became a part of the dialogue.  That was 
really cool, im my mind, 'cause the where/when of my youth didn't have 
anything similar besides CDs and LPS of strangely named groups like BOC, 
Popol Vuh, Procol Harum, and the like.   Appreciating Albert and Joe's 
musical efforts was always a game of 'catch-up' or, in the case of the 
Brain Surgeons, something like commuting. I have to come out of the capital 
district 'burbs to the big city of NYC on my ownsome.

But the Regal-Tones,by way of this eaves-dropped conversation, made what I 
love (music) have a context in which said passion could be at ease. Or in 
the lingo of the spirit of the age, it was 'A Happening'.

The Barn Dance was just that.History and the present merrily dropped their 
temporal facaded to BOOGIE ON DOWN.

Some faces familiar to me from the crowd at BOC/tBS shows were in 
attendance, as was Deborah Frost. 'Twas good to catch up with Albert and 
Deb in the pre-show glow of anticipation. As Albert said, "It's gonna be a 
wild night," and boy was he right.

An opening band played a satisfying brace of Cajun-inflected Blues, like 
"Caledonia," to a small but dancing group of women and men on the dance 
floor.  A good omen!

Punctually, the Regal Tones took to the stage, ready for battle with 
Pendleton-styled, buttoned short sleeve shirts.

Joe predominantly played keyboard, alternating to the guitar as needed by 
the song. More importantly, he acted as the impresario for the night. His 
command of the stage impressed me immensely, as I've only watched Joe in 
action at the Billy Hilfiger Memorial Show. Maybe it was the setting and 
show type (that was more of a 'festival' of different acts), but I think 
having a proper band and set for the entire night gave Joe the chance to 
charm the audience with his song introductions and tales of Regal Glory.

This is the best guess at the set. In my mind, it fell together 
thematically. True to the times in which the found inspiration, 
they  played several  instrumentals: "Sleepwalk," "Walk, Don't Run," 
"Tequila," "Raunchy," and "Green Onions."  What impressed me 'bout these 
was how well the two guitarist sounded in unison. The sax in "Raunchy," 
too, had an appealing force to it. Excellent. Albert's 
faithful  atomic-clock-backbeat in :Green Onions" made time tight.

The songs with words were many and they were raucous.  "Louie, Louie" was 
happily performed with Albert steppin' out on lead guitar and vocals while 
the band's other guitarist manned the drummer's stool.  Very cool.  "Bonie 
Maroney" (is that spelling right?)  had Albert on lead vocals while 
drumming, too. The first set's undisputable highlight, WITHOUT A DOUBT, was 
the band's run through "What'd I Say (parts 1 and 2)." The Crowd danced and 
moaned itself into the rock'n'roll moment. On the stage, Joe's riffage on 
the 88s was worthy of Ray and Albert swung a Big, Bad Beat.  In the latter 
third of the set was the group's Beach Boys trilogy. Joe's explanation of 
diggin' the similarity in their personell  to the Regal Tones(brothers and 
cousins), mutual enjoyment of rock and roll,  and affection for the warm 
Clayton sun helped me see why the 'Tones popped some Surf into their 
sets.  They played "Californian Girls" (with the symphonic intro done on 
guitar!), "Surfing, USA", and a song about T-birds. (I should know the name 
of this song! Argh! Alas, I've never  been a Beach Boys fan. That came in 
handy, since I took the time to be merciful to myself by resting for Act 
Two). Also in the tumult the Immortal "Johnny B Goode" made an 
appaearance.  Joe definitely played the guitar like he was ringin' a bell. 
Oh Yeah!  And earlier in the set, he also gave The Killer's"Whole Lotta 
Shakin' Goin On" that wasn't fakin' at all.

By the way,  they closed the first set with "Burning For You." It was TIGHT 
and heavy and poppy and great.  I can now say I've heard all the members of 
BOC play the Big 3  live, in one configuration or another. The crowd's on 
flame with rock and roll and Joe's fretwork adds fuel to the fire during 
that gem of a song. The song bounced with attitude I've missed in other 
live attempts.
I had sweat away several  pounds of life by the time they took a bow  after 
"Burning For You."  In the interim, it stuck me that the crowd gathered at 
the front of the stage might well have been the entire arena. It was huge. 
All were extremely pleased and guzzling the myriad liquid refreshments on 
offer.

The short respite ended when we entered "the Black and White Set" --- The 
Regal Tones were refreshed and sporting thin black ties, white button down 
shirts, black pants and shoes. Wasting no time, they launched into a 
full-fledged Beatles onslaught.  I've always been lukewarm when it came to 
John, Paul ,George and Ringo's output. Years of FM over-exposure, 
overly-rabid adulation and too many incomprehensible pop crimes in their 
solo careers left me only with a respect for their 'contribution to 
rock'n'roll.

  Tonight, all that changed.

Like the first set, I cannot remember all the songs performed. I know 
"Daytripper" (woohoo!), " We Can Work It Out", "The Night Before", "Help!" 
(and it came down heavy and fast, outrocking the studio track 1000 to 1), 
"Twist and Shout", "Love Me Do" (Albert on harmonica and drums 
simultaneously. Very tough!), "Things We Said Yesterday", "A Hard Days 
Night" -- complete with the cool opening wash of feedback and the nifty 
guitar fadeout were standouts in memory and at the time,   There were at 
least four more tunes, each as cool as the rest.

The British Invasion continued and the audience joyfully surrendered to the 
Big British Beat as Albert delivered those that pre-break drum fill in "For 
Your Love," as well as the snappy snare drum rat-a-tat  in "You Really Got 
Me."  "Secret Agent Man"  and "Hang on Sloopy" followed up the rear in all 
their rockin' majesty.

You might be asking, "...But what of the Stones, J? What of the 
Stones?"   Fear not, for  two of their many 45s were played -- my paradigm 
for what a guitar can do, "The Last Time", sent me into a frenzy as it 
should rightly do. Its ugly twin brother, "Satisfaction" included a 
hummingbird-speed bass drum fill by Monsieur Bouchard made their bad selves 
present at the Dance.

As they did with Set One, Set Two concluded  with Spectres' resident 
monster. Tonight, "Godzilla" wore a thin black tie,"Topsy (Part Two))"s 
drum solo, and the usual percussive excellence we know radioactive lizard 
masks can bestow upon their wearer (or something like that).   Although 
closing with 'zilla.. the crowd called out  for more. "(Don't Fear) The 
Reaper" was our present for finding and creating the night's vibes. 'Twas 
an old friend this song, still in good shape and displaying all the signs 
of a well-earned classic status.  Unlike the usual BOC shows, the Big 3's 
presence was not expected, but they were very welcome. I think they sound 
better without expecting 'em. There was one other song I don't know. They 
specifically played it for the woman who organized the whole shebang. She 
and her husband joined the 'Tones on stage with merry abandon.

After encore two ("Satisfaction"), the song to end all encores hit the 
stage,"Good Night Sweetheart, Good Night." Their  a capella version bade us 
fare well, as tradition commanded, and the assembled mass staggered home, 
exhausted from the groove. Rightly so, the band's final bows were like the 
embrace given by civilians to GIs on VE and VJ Day.

To put it all another way: tonight was the first time my parents and I 
enjoyed the same concert.
One for the books, indeed.