13 June 2006

Philly and New York: A Homecoming

The shows in both Philadelphia and New York are behind us - and what great shows they were.

Philly was of course the first full-length ZPZ show in the US, and played to a packed house at the Tower Theater. From the very start the audience was excited and it was clear that many had waited for some time to see they show, and were there to savor every moment. Early in the show, Dweezil spotted a young boy named Eric in the second row. When he found out it was Eric's first concert, Dweezil remarked that he felt obliged to make sure the show was great. Eric was in for a treat and as the show progressed he even got some advice from Terry Bozzio and was eventually invited up on stage at the end of the show to jump on the last note with the band. It makes Dweezil really happy to see younger audience members, because he feels very strongly that more young people should be exposed to Frank's music and the exceptional musicianship on stage. I think Eric had a life-changing experience.

There were a number of well-known musician Zappa fans in the audience including Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater, as well as guitarist Dave Weiner from Steve Vai's band. Dave later delivered a giant container of his mother's seasoned pretzels to the bus and the Zappa band soon became addicted to what is fondly refered to on Vai tours as "Mrs. Weiner's Homestyle Crack".

We returned to our hotel after the gig to enjoy one last night in those luxurious beds before making a bus our home again for the next two weeks. After a week of many fly days, the bus, though at times cramped, is a welcome home to return to. It's one of the few sanctuaries one has when touring - along with the dressing room. Not having to drag tons of luggage through an airport is a luxury too. Steve Vai said that when he was in Frank's band, every day was a fly day. I can only imagine what extra work that would have been - on top of having to play Frank's music every night.

Everyone in the band was excited for New York, and it turned out to be one of the tour's highlights. Dweezil was clearly moved playing on front of a sold-out audience in a city that was a favorite of Frank's to play.

The Roxy video started the show after a notable absence due to techical issues in Philly, and lack of room in Reykjavik and Greece. Fans were also treated to the haunting "Chunga's Revenge" duet at the end of the show. George Duke was in the audience and stayed for the whole show. Aaron was very excited about that, and got to meet him later in the evening when Napi brought him back to hang out in the dressing rooms. Gail and Diva were in the house too (as well as the show in Philly) and they were having a great time - Diva spending most of the show dancing on the side of the stage near Aaron and Scheila. Steve Vai's mother was also in the audience enjoying the show. I can only imagine how cool it must be for her to see Steve performing Frank's music again - when Frank was where it all started for Steve. Good times indeed.

For those who missed the New York show, I have good news. Tickets go on sale tomorrow for a just-announced show on Halloween at the Theater in Madison Square Gardens (visit the venue box office for more info.) I'll be posting further Fall ZPZ dates shortly, so keep an eye out for those.

Now we are in Boston. I imagine there are lots of Berklee students here to soak it up. The show just began so I'm going out to take photos... and maybe a little video too. The lobby of the Orpheum is full of people drinking beer even though the show is on. I wonder sometimes why people come to shows to do anything other than listen to the music. Ah well, to each his/her own...

Mikey
Zappa.com Webmeister

p.s. The new Apple Store on 5th Avenue is awesome!

POSTED BY MIKEY AT 2006-06-13 19:01:41