Hmm…
Is Page surrounding himself with so-so musicians on this tour?
I’m going tonight in NYC and will be sure to file a report tomorrow.
The wonderful Page record has continued to grow on me
and I’m excited to hear him play and sing that group of songs.
Maybe the band will hit their stride tonight?
And…Special guests?
Set times–
Neil Cleary is opening up tonight at 9pm:
http://www.myspace.com/neilcleary
Then it’s on to the Chairman at 10pm.
Let’s go, Leo!
-todd amodeo
have fun man
I’m pretty excited to see him a week from wednesday in Chicago.
Well…it’s the day after. Page in NYC…
It’s a beautiful thing to go into a show with low expectations.
I had heard some mediocre reviews of the past few Page shows.
Seemed like…Page is good, songs are good, band is weak.
I’m happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by
what I saw and heard last night.
It was a VERY comfortable scene inside Irving Plaza. It’s hard
to believe one of the last times I saw Page was with 80,000 people.
This was far from a sellout in there…but still a good, healthy,
energized NYC audience…and Page delivered the goods.
The band comes out and opens with Heavy Rotation (?)…I think…
anyway…I’m listening…and thinking…hmm…yea…Bass players
just kinda hangin’ in there…hmm…guitar player on the right
is kinda weak…hmm…dude on the left is just playin’ parts
from the record. So you see…thinking, thinking, thinking.
Next thing I know…a really nice jam is building and building…
and eventually…blows all them thoughts right outta my head.
And over the course of the show…each one of those
musicians started to sound pretty good individually…and more
importantly…they sounded better and better collectively.
This band is a forum for Page to shine and he sure does. He’s in
good form vocally, he’s got new record jam packed with
strong pop tunes, he’s playing his but off on piano, synths
and eventually…some Hammond…he’s smiling and
interacting with the audience…and he’s having a great time.
Complex Wind (one of my album favorites) had a deep, far
reaching jam that went to jazzy places, drum&bass sounds,
and then some really deep trance passages. It was my
favorite jam up to that moment.
Pen-ultimate set song, Beauty of my Dreams, featured a
humongous jam that had the place screaming. This jam
was largely led by the guitar playing of the keyboard/guitar
player on the left. (Name?) That guy can play and this was
a ripping jam…I wish he had taken some more space
earlier in the night.
I thought that was it…but was very pleasantly surprised to
hear the opening riffs of the Rolling Stones’ Monkey Man. Holy
crap! What a cover! You gotta hear Page’s vocal on this…he
does a spot-on Mick Jagger…Very fun! This one also had
a strong jam and build up…and then they left and came
back with Cars, Trucks, Buses. (I really wanted to hear
the Strange Design…but I couldn’t complain.)
Page is full of surprises…pop albums, afro-cuban albums…
and now this show.
The band…these guys are good. Nobody really stands out or
blows you away individually…but I think that’s by design…
they are very good group improvisers…with sensitive ears…
and they provide a wide open canvas for Page to paint on
with his piano, synths, organs…and of course…it’s wonderful
to hear Page’s singing voice again.
So…if you’re going to see this show…I recommend…ignoring
everything that’s been said…including this review…
and checking it out for yourself. 
Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised as I was!
Have fun, people…
-todd amodeo
nice review, thats just about exactly the same way i viewd his performance in philly and the band that surrounds him
“This band is a forum for Page to shine”
that is spot on
I like the way you write about music.
good review.