Venue:
Lichfield Guildhall
Date: 17/12/2017
Well, I both got in and stayed at this one, a first of 3 recent events, these troupers really showing how it can be done. Tribute band, Retro? Well, sort of, except this time they are all pros in their own right, old pros at that, being Steve Gibbons, the Steve Gibbons, the THM* of yore, still world famous in Brum, Dave Pegg and Gerry Conway from Fairport, PJ Wright, erstwhile Gibbons sidesman, latterly lead of Little Johnny England and Trad Arr, and Phil Bond, still a Gibbons band regular. Bloody hell, these guys can play, with Gibbons the consummate Dylan copyist, being a full month younger than Bob, 76, having been chucking in Dylan songs since forever, or 1980, when I first caught him, the difference being he references Dylan before his voice went to shit. And, no mere memorex of performances past, with updates, restyles and reinterprets aplenty, but in a way where you can actually recognise the song, if not the arrangement. No easy retread of the greatest hits, either, these were often, at least in the first half, deeper cuts from less well-celebrated moments. Hell, barely a song from Blonde on Blonde and a long wait to the encore from one from Blood on the Tracks. Lots or John Wesley Harding and a fair few from the more recent offerings, by which I mean Empire Burlesque onward. Nothing from the Christmas album or the Sinatra years, I am sorry/pleased to say, although a hint of Hark the Herald Angels did appear, on mouth-harp, in a stand-out performance of Dark Eyes, Gibbons with just electric piano accompaniment and, toward the end, choral massed vocal. I have seen the Project perhaps 5 or 6 times over the 20 odd years of their existence, always staggered by the failure to play on auto-pilot, the sets changing from tour to tour and, seemingly show to show: setlist.com failed to help me recall at all what was played this night as the shows represented were so markedly different, night to night. Tonight being the end of tour, I felt we got a greater shout than elsewhere. Highlights, apart from Gibbon’s natty suit, a wonder of checked tweed, his transition from leather-clad rocker to Doc Holliday style cowboy dude, to uber-cool back combed crooner, an albino John Cooper Clark in shades, a hand-painted tie and a broad grin, were many. Senor was one of many led by Bond’s mariachi style accordion, a wondrous rollicking Only a Hobo, a sepuchral and gothic Man in a Long White Coat, PJ’s guitar sharding out spectral shimmers. Amongst the more obvious were a fairly straight I Want You and a scarily jazz-blues lounge Mr Jones. Over 2 sets we got 2 hours worth, ahead of a show stopping Wilbury’s Handle Me With Care. No room to leave stage they weren’t allowed to leave until Simple Twist of Fate and “a request from Mr Presley”, with a Blue Christams being offered to one and all. And I haven’t even mentioned Dave Pegg’s bass playing, as melodic and inventive as I ever have seen or heard him, and that is no few times. Terrific show, a room full of grins all round.
*THM? Shame on you, the Tulane hitmaker!
The audience:
Fucking ancient. Sorry, but, OK, perhaps age-appropriate to the act and the material, but couldn’t they at least make a little more effort to remain as Forever Young, not played, as the performers…
It made me think..
This is the future for baby-boomers, the elderly rocking along to elderly rockers. How long can this remain credible? Give it a few, please.
Sounds like a good gig.
As it happens, I went to see a Dylan tribute band, The Zimmermen, on Sunday (late) afternoon on my way to my regular twice-monthly Sunday evening pub jazz gig.
A very accomplished 6-piece band, vocals, acoustic guitar/vocals, electric guitar, keyboards(mostly Al Kooper-style organ), bass, drums.
Good clear sound from the venue’s resident sound man, who knows his stuff.
Free entry at a packed pub. Lots of “audience participation” on many of the songs.
No obscure tracks but a good spread of material including “Handle Me With Care” and “The Weight” and an almost dub-reggae take on “I Shall Be Released”.
Unfortunately I only caught their first hour-long set, as I needed to get to the evening gig which I’d paid in advance for and wouldn’t have missed for the world in any case.
Covers bands get a bit of slagging, here and there, but a good one, when you find ’em, are definitely worth supporting.
They’re usually not doing it for the money, though they usually do like to get some. They’re doing it primarily because they want to play music for people who appreciate their efforts.
I was looking at the keyboard player’s rig at the jazz gig I went on to afterward. Probably about 5 grands worth of kit. All for 7 quid a head split between 5 of them, in a venue that holds 150 people max. And these guys are all seasoned professionals.
The guys I saw earlier in the afternoon all have day jobs. They probably get paid £200-250 between them from the pub to perform.
Later this week that pub, “The Horns” in Watford, are hosting “Stanley Dee”, a stunningly good 11-piece Steely Dan tribute act (see them on YouTube. They’re good.). They’re probably getting paid about the same as the Zimmermen. Obviously they’re not doing it for the money. It’s a love thing..
A truly good review retro. I’ve seen The Dylan Project around 4/5 times myself in the past 20 years and they are always superb as you attest. Mr Gibbons actually relenting and doing ‘Tulane’, well maybe a verse at my prompting at one of the shows. Thanks and Merry Christmas.
Great review. This’ll get me playing some Steve Gobbons Band today. I fancy seeing this show live, love my Dylan and if Steve were to throw in No Spitting On Thr Bus too then i’d Be over the moon.
Sadly their last recording, 2016’s Caught In the Convent, a live double, suffers from the often live album scenario of your having had to be there at the time. It is good and a taster for, actually, much of the ongoing setlist, but exposes their achilles heel, the somewhat leaden thump of Gerry Conway. Lovely and self-effacing guy, stalwart of Cat Stevens, Fotheringay and spouse of Jacqui McShee (@colin-H and in the current JMcS’s Pentangle) as well as 17 years drumming with Fairport, but, as my chum at the show said, apropos the age of the audience, there wold have been a better rhythm if the drummer had Parkinsons….
Give your mate an ^