TYA
Concert Review by Jim Harris
Anyone
showing up last night for Ten Year’s After concert
hoping to pick up a ticket a few hours before the
show found the above sign in place of the ticket
attendant. Obviously tired of being harassed
for tickets, he took the time to type up the brief
statement and found refuge somewhere inside the
Magic Bag Theatre in
Ferndale
,
MI
. The excitement was in the air, not
only was TYA making a return to the Motor City, 30
plus years after their famous concert’s at such
large venue’s as Cobo Hall, but tonight would be
the first US date on TYA’s current tour.
Less than a week earlier, TYA had performed in
Denmark
, and packed their bag’s for a return to the
States.
It was a weird weather day for winter weary
Detroit folks, temp’s climbed to close to 60
degrees but a steady rain kept the fan’s waiting
in line huddled against the overhang’s of the
theatre and the buildings nearby before the show.
Inside, it was warm and dry, and local
Detroit
band the Mugg’s opened up with a furious and well
received performance. The crowd enjoyed their
performance, and several times the band commented
about how honored they were to be opening up for
their idol’s.
Just about 10:00pm on the dot the band we had
all come to see was introduced to the crowd.
Lead singer and guitar player Joe Gooch was full of
quick smiles as quite a few fan’s yelled out
“Allright Joe”. Then, school began, and we
students of the science known as rock n roll were
treated to some badly needed continuing education as
the band launched into the show. By the time
they settled into Hear Me Calling, the third song of
the night, the crowd was full of friends of many
years turning to each other and knowingly nodding
their heads. “These guy’s still had it”,
the nod’s were saying. Maybe we still had
it. The band not only had” it,” but
the audiences’ complete attention over the next
two hours. The band mixed the new with the old
seamlessly, and I am sure many fan’s were thinking
the same thing as me, which was, “ I need to get
their last couple of albums!”.
The
band was in a great mood, and their play showed it.
Leo had a smile on his face throughout the show, and
his showdown’s with Joe brought the crowd to their
feet. This kind Englishman’s torrid play on
the bass brought the memory of John Entwisle to mind
at one point, and I wondered if they knew each other
very well.
Fan’s were taken back to 1970 and the Isle
of Wright Concert that was made famous by the album
and video. Made less than a year to
Woodstock
, some of the same big names got together again,
including a guy named Hendrix and a madman drum
player named Moon. “I Can’t Keep From
Cryin, Sometimes”, was clearly the favorite of
many fan’s. Another ovation was heard when
Joe grabbed the acoustic and launched into “I’d
Like to Change the World”. We still
didn’t know what to do for sure, but for one night
the star’s were aligned and time travel was
possible. I was not a 42 year old guy who had
to be at work sitting in a cubicle the next morning
at 7:30am sharp, I was a kid out in my backyard and
the sun was shining and Cricklewood Green was
blasting through my screen windows that hid behind
them my $45 Kmart Stereo.
As
Leo introduced the band during the show, he
acknowledge a young man who had some big shoe’s to
fill, and at that time the crowd gave a huge round
of applause for Joe. There was probably no one
in the audience who would not have loved to see
Alvin
join his 3 fellow members of TYA last night.
Yet by the 45 second mark of the first song, it was
clear that everyone in the audience had fallen in
love with a new guitar hero, and were thankful the
band loved their music and their fan’s enough to
take to the road with him. He was fast, clean,
soulful, and his voice matched very well with the
older songs as well as some of the newer stuff that
he has recorded with the band.
Chick was a rock all night, at times doing
everything but dance on his organ. Elbows and
fingers were flying, and you could see how much fun
he was having, and at the great reception the
audience was giving him back.
Ric was in the back of the stage, but at the
forefront of almost every song. He gave the
rest of the guy’s such much needed rest halfway
through the show when he launched into The Hobbit,
his extra gift to the crowd.
The
band invited everyone to stay after the show, as the
band would come down and mingle, sign autographs,
and get caught up with the motor city. About
that point Joe mumbled, “UH, I wonder what song we
could play next”, and suddenly we were at
Woodstock
watching the band’s anthem “I’m Going Home”.
“
Detroit
is better than I thought”, said an honest Joe
Gooch at one point during the show. “I hope
I can come back and see you all again”.
Joe, you and TYA are even better than we thought,
remembered, and hoped to see. So let’s call
it even!
Jim
Harris
Macomb
Twp
,
MI
|