ASBURYJUKES.NET – BY STAN LISOWSKI – JANUARY 6, 2001
Doin’ this one-eyed at 4:40 something. Go to BB King’s friday night. Jukes will not dissappoint. About 4 hours of tunes were taken in between the 2 gigs. The BBKing’s let those who wanted to stay, stay with no cover. Highlights, if I can remember them all; Manion’s killer solo on “Unchain My Heart”. Joey Stann doing the best sax solo ever on “Paris”, after a wonderful Bowie sounding lead in by Bobby.
Didn’t see “The Fever”, but heard it from the bathroom hallway where the phone was. Sweetheart/wife couldn’t come as she was illin’, so when our wedding song came on, rushed to the phone, called her in South Jersey and stood the whole 9 or 11 minutes holding the phone out towards the stage so we could listen to it together. Sappy? Corny? Yeah, maybe. But who cares. It was neat and fun explaining to all those passing by!!!
LaBamba SOUNDED large and in charge. KZ vamping and doing his best “flock of seagulls” impression. Jeff, dude, without the hair, it don’t work. During “Sacrifice”, Johnny calls down Pender and tells Mark “to testify”. Love man starts a semi-maniacal “sermon” by just blowing his brains out. Screaming, blasting his horn. Awesome moment here.
Second show started with “Now Or Never”. Horns had quite an Italian feel. Johhny moved to the very far corner of the stage complaining horns were too loud during one number. As if on cue, Chris Anderson steps towards him. Then Pender, followed by LB. Finally, Joey and Kingfish are all lined up together, circling Southside like demonic pied pipers. Johnny turns, startled by all that brass basically, up his ass, drops to the stage cracking up laughing.
Horns strut away, seemingly very proud of the torment they have inflicted. SS, KZ, with accordian, along with BB, just the three of them singing multiple numbers, so sweet, just to take the edge off. New numbers mixed with old, great combos. “Sinful”, tight, “Cadilac Jack” raucas. “I’m So Anxious” got lots up on their feet.
Johnny sitting down at one of the tables, converses up on the tabletop singing “Cold Sweat” funky like a monkey. “Messin’ around with the blues” sounds like a gazillion times better live than on the disc. Long interchanges of harp by SS and guitar by Bobby. Johnny asks if Bobby sounds ok.
Then asks about Mister Kazee. Jeff starts a twinkling of something additional. Johnny snaps “That’s NOT an invitation. KZ acknowledges him with an odd 1 finger salute.
Mini-skirted girl jumping on stage and dancing with South, showing mucho leg and a tad bit of buttocks. Steve on bass, SINGING. Louie Louie breaking drumstick after another. Ann from Belgium musta had a dozen broken sticks on her table by nights end.
“Better Way Home” just blew the place up. Kazee running in place ala Paul Revere and the Raiders. At another point KZ starts playing the circus march theme, drawing Hood out peeking from backstage laughing.
2ND “Fever” has Chris with an outstanding solo. Drawing handshakes from Pender and Richie. Johnny musing outloud of days gone by… Telling of his youth, with his brother, coming into the city to see Cream and Zappa and Butterfield Blues Band. Pender allnight wiggling and gyrating like a belly dancer on crack.
Aw hell, so much good shit. Just go. And you’ll see. You’ll see.
Thanks fellas.
Ears are still ringing and “oooo oooo oooo it’s gonna be alright”
OW OW OOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW
sayOW3xs soicanspankyouverymuch
Copyright (c) 2001, Stan Lisowski – all rights reserved
