The Rascals
Once Upon A Dream
Live @ The Fox Theatre
November 15th 2013
Felix Cavaliere vocals, Hammond organ
Eddie Brigati vocals & the toy
Gene Cornish Lead guitar, vocals
Dino Danelli drums
This is the
moment I’ve been waiting for since the Rascals acrimonious breakup in 1970. I
was a big fan from their very beginnings. I first saw the band @ the Eastown
Theatre in 1971 not knowing Eddie Brigati and Gene Cornish were no longer in
the band. It was a time of personal and musical changes for the Rascals.
Cavaliere kept the name alive yet changed the musical focus from rock &
roll and blue-eyed soul to more complex jazz-inspired excursions, melody and
harmony mixed with a heady mix of improvisation and virtuosity. This was Cavaliere’s
embrace of be-bop, a genre perfected by Saginaw legend Sonny Stitt. He added
several musicians including Buzz Feiten on guitar, Chuck Rainey on bass with
Annie Sutton and Cynthia Webb on vocals (Sutton sang Eddie Brigati’s
tour-de-force How Can I Be Sure in their live show, giving it a soulful twist).
Through the years I attended several Felix Cavaliere solo performances as well
as a knockout Reunion Show at Meadowbrook. It was a glorious event yet Brigati
chose to opt out. His presence was sorely missed. As the second lead singer and
focal point onstage (he danced his ass off), Brigati was instrumental in
creating the Rascals sound and stage persona. He was the heart and soul of the
band. Cavaliere was well aware of this missing piece in the Rascals performance
and announced onstage that Eddie was greatly missed.
Kudos to
Steven Van Zandt as the producer and director of Once Upon a Dream. He is a
true believer and is responsible for developing this incredible concept of
merging a hybrid Rock N’ Roll concert with a Broadway Show. The Rascals
performance would go beyond just their hits and go deep into the pocket of
their rich catalog of music. The concert experience will feature filmed
interludes that reveal not just the history of the Rascals but the history of
the sixties through the prism of their music.
In an
interesting twist the Rascals were not lured back to the stage for monetary
reward instead it was Van Zandt riding the range and mending fences that brought
the four principle players into the fold. They rediscovered themselves and each
other forty years after their split. Once Upon a Dream is the perfect metaphor
for The Rascals’ journey, as well as our own, as we all begin to measure time
as how much time we have left. We learn about letting go whether it’s hitting
the right note or keeping a slim waistline. But tonight all is forgotten in a
brief flicker of the moment when the only thing that matters is that beautiful,
soulful and joyous music of the Rascals. Listen…
The
disembodied voice of Little Steven Van Zandt catches the attention of the
audience…
“You can take
photos, you can take videos, do whatever the fuck you want”
He goes on to
encourage the crowd to put it up on facebook.
The Rascals
opened with It’s Wonderful, the only hit on their fourth studio LP Once Upon a
Dream. It is Brigati’s preachy but absolutely charming ode to enlightenment.
Brigati’s singing is right in the pocket. His singing is confident and his
scratchy tenor sheds forty years of anonymity. His voice is supple and has
survived the ravages of time. The hits
come in quick succession from Cavaliere’s soulful take on Lonely Too Long (the
big hit on the Collections), follows up with a deep end cut What is the Reason
and an incredible take on You Better Run with a powerful extended coda.
The
arrangements are true to the recorded versions with slight exceptions. For
instance Brigati nails the gospel tinged Carry Me Back but Cavaliere’s intro on
the original recording contained a complicated super charged piano trill that
was left out of the concert performance.
The
videotaped interview segments of the band members proved to be a fascinating
firsthand account of the life and times of the Rascals in the sixties. The
musicians were frank and funny in an ironic way. They told about their own
foibles, how they met and the evolution of their sound – deep background stuff.
Cavaliere relates a story from the early sixties in which he and Dino joined up
with Sandra Scott and the Scotties in Las Vegas and they both had to wear Scottish
uniforms – it put a tilt in their kilt.
The 50 by 25
foot LED screen provided an exciting backdrop that included lava lamp
psychedelics, tie-dye grooviness, peace signs, doves flying, period videos and
photos of the band and other sixties benchmarks from civil rights, the growth
of youth culture and the assassinations of the Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther
King.
The
re-enactment vignettes with young actors who resembled our heroes was not
altogether annoying but added little to the overall vibe of the show.
There was a
short 15 minute break in the show. The overhead lights come on and van Zandt’s
pre-recorded voice booms, “It’s half time. Get drunk. Buy a tee-shirt. Take a
piss!
The Rascals
played several of their high-energy covers of Motown songs (a big inspiration)
including Mickey’s Monkey, Turn on Your Lovelight and Too Many Fish in the Sea. Mid-way through the
set they rolled out their first minor hit Brigati’s garage punk show case I
Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore (written by Pam Sawyer and Laurie Burton)
was spot on, melodrama personified. Good Lovin’ was a different story. It
reached the top of the charts with its pulsating high energy delivery. It was
delivered with all the punch and energy of the original recording, people were
dancing in the aisles! The only major bummer in the show was Baby Let’s Wait.
It was covered by several bands including the Rascals but the best version
belonged to The Royal Guardsmen. It’s is superb slice of bubblegum but not a
good fit for the Rascals.
Gene Cornish provided one of his deep catalog
chestnuts Away, Away. It is a slice of new wave psych with obscure lyrics.
Beautiful.
Each member
is strategic to the overall sound of the Rascals. In past reunions there was no
Eddie Brigati and each time that missing piece led to a less than satisfying
experience. Near the end of the show Eddie sang How can I Be Sure – me and
everyone else there held our breath as Brigati reached and hit that high note
on “Whenever I.” It was a transcendent moment. Eddie got a standing ovation and
he was visibly moved by that outpouring of love.
The later
hits from Freedom Suite were all performed including Ray of Hope, Heaven,
People Got to Be Free. It was an astonishing triad of beautiful sounds with
lyrical precision the preached peace, love and hope for all - modern hymnals. These
were political statements that were colored by the spiritual longing in
Cavalier’s lyrics.
The encore
was the magnificent See, a minor hit with a big sound. The music was layered
and complicated with elements of blues, jazz and hard rock all rolled up into
five minutes of rock & roll nirvana – a neglected masterpiece
This
multi-media showcase was a revelation, not just in the Rascals execution of the
thirty plus songs but what they contributed to sixties culture in America. They
were the voice of a generation speaking out against violence, racism and war.
The violence in the sixties mirrored the discontent of our people. It was a cry
for freedom. The Rascals music was the soundtrack for all that we hoped and
dreamed for our country and ourselves. We only need to keep our hearts open to
the possibility of truth and justice. The Rascals are an inspiration
Steven and Maureen Van Zandt produced
and directed this incredible multi-media event and made it possible that the
Rascals could be remembered as the sixties become a forgotten moment in time,
fading in the distance as we speed off to the next big thing, the Rascals
legend receding down the highway as we take one last look in the rearview
mirror.
Time Peace
Bo White
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