Post by jesse on Oct 16, 2007 16:27:13 GMT
I posted this review on another site back in February, I figured it would stir up some discussion here 
. Not trying to be a jerk or anything as MTB was and is still one of my favorite bands, but one should know what they're getting into when seeing them in concert in 2007 (or 2008).
Marshall Tucker Band 2/24/07 @ Starland Ballroom
Last Saturday night I attended my 10th Marshall Tucker Band concert and first in about 6 years. I hadn’t seen the band at all since long time members Tim Lawter (bass) and Rusty Milner (guitar) left the band. 2004’s “Beyond The Horizon” was the best MTB album in years so I was particularly anxious to hear the new line up.
(I told myself I wasn’t going to review the opening bands, but I can’t help myself!) The first opening band was a four piece consisting of a solid, yet pedestrian drummer, a bassist whose habit of chewing gum with his mouth wide open was an annoying distraction through much of their set, a lefty, Les Paul slinging guitarist and a Strat playing guitar/keyboard virtuouso. Actually both guitarists were really good, but the dude singing had all the (non) range of George Thorogood and the songs, for the most part lacked hooks. Enjoyable 35 minutes of music but nothing that stuck with me…..including their name.
The second opener (I’ll tell you right now, I don’t recall their name) I swear I had seen before. They were an 8 piece funky, danceable rock group. Nice 30 minute set of upbeat tunes dampened only by their tree-hugging, anti-Bush digs. Note to all bands: The last several elections have been roughly a 50/50 ratio of people voting Democrat/Republican, whenever you evoke politics into your stageshow, left or right, you’re bound to piss off half of your audience. After 30 minutes they were told to get off the stage which set off a whiney tirade about how they were supposed to get 35 minutes. In the end they did get one last song. On one hand I understand being told you have a certain amount of stage time and then having it cut short when the time comes, but on the other, they were an 8 piece band! It took them extra time to set up and would take them extra time to get off the stage for the next act. Anyhow, they did their one last song, but not before coming across as bunch of crybabies. They were good, but again, not too memorable.
Third band got set up quite fast after the 8 piece got their shit off the stage. These guys were a 3 piece band of, probably, 20-somethings and displayed an aura of calm professionalism while in wait for the curtain to go up and their turn to begin. This turned out to be the Matt O’ree Band and they were the highlight of the night thus far. Behind a Les Paul/ Marshall tone to die for, O’ree held the audience with a powerful set of hard and heavy blues or blues-influenced hard rock depending upon your perspective. His vocals were a distinctive cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Greg Allman and the music evoked comparisons to The Allman Brothers, Pat Travers Band, Mountain, Cream and a touch of Thin Lizzy. As his time came to a close, he wrapped up the set with a KILLER version of Robin Trower’s “Day Of The Eagle”.
So now it’s time for the main act, Marshall Tucker Band celebrating 35 years of continuous touring and recording. For those keeping track, the current Marshall Tucker Band consists of original singer Doug Gray, Gray’s nephew Clay Cook on guitar, keyboards and vocals, longtime member Stuart Swanlund on guitar and vocals, ex-Firefall multi-intrumentalist David Muse on Keyboards, saxophone and flute, ex-Outlaws, Mother’s Finest, Molly Hatchet drummer Barry Borden, ex- Outlaws guitarist Chris Hicks and bassist Pat Elwood.
It was pretty clear from the get-go that things weren’t quite right for MTB. They made their entrance to their classic instrumental “Long Hard Ride” blaring through the PA……and then proceded to downtune their guitars :/. Apparently Gray called an audible to begin the set with the Chris Hicks’ sung “King Of The Delta Blues”. That song went well and good, but then they had to retune for the 1977 hit “Heard It In A Love Song” in which Gray sang in the manner in which I’ve come to expect over the last 15 years of seeing MTB……somewhere just above God-awful. Luckily, Gray didn’t even attempt to sing the chorus, instead opting to let Hicks, Cook, Swanlund and the audience sing those parts. Next we were treated to Clay Cook’s first vocal of the evening for one of my favorite Tucker tunes “I’ll Be Loving You”. Man, can Cook sing! He’s every bit as good as Gray was in his prime, perhaps better! After that, Gray called another audible and it seemed like only half the band got the message as it took a few moments for the dust to clear and me to realize that they were playing the 1975 hit “Fire On The Mountain”. This turned out to be a mess as Cook’s steel guitar couldn’t be heard too well and Gray missed his cue to begin the first verse. After some nasty looks from Cook and an “oh well” shrug from Hicks, Gray went up to the mic and muttered something. Then as the band vamped on the verse section, Gray finally found his place and began the song…..again, pretty badly.
Gray must’ve felt his voice going (he did have throat surgery last summer and it IS cold and flu season) because he then called for “24 Hours At A Time” which is usually their show closer. Gray stumbled through the first 2 verses then let the band take off for a 15 + minute jam that woulda made Jerry Garcia proud! Now MTB for years was basically a one lead guitar band, but now ALL THREE guitarists had their moment in the spotlight proving they each could be THE guy, but also were each content playing 2 chords for 4 or 5 minutes at a time while the others jammed. Really a great rendition overall despite Gray’s vocals. The whole stage shook during Borden’s drum solo spot.
Next up was “This Ol’ Cowboy” in which Gray only got partway through the first verse then stopped. Not sure if his voice was cracking or if he just forgot the words, but he left the band hang out to dry. Hicks, clearly the band leader, brought the song to an easy crashlanding only to restart it again at Gray’s affirmative nod. This time Gray got through the first verse, but then handed it off to Hicks for the second verse. After a long solo section, Gray sang the third verse, but made us wish Hicks had finished it.
After “This Ol’ Cowboy” Gray waved goodbye and left the stage while Clay Cook handled the vocals for about a 15 minute version of “Ramblin’”. Again, enough really can’t be said about Cook. The kid is GOOD! Unfortunately, Gray was back for a short and sloppy version of “Searchin’ For A Rainbow”. Next was the song most folks were waiting for, “Can’t You See”. Really a quality live version, though Gray nearly ruined it by singing the first verse. Luckily, he again handed the ball off. This time to Stuart Swanlund who probably sings the most similar to Toy Caldwell who originally sang the tune. Hicks got the third verse and Gray didn’t sing again the rest of the evening (thank God!) “Can’t You See” ended with a long guitar jam featuring all three guitarists in harmony with each other. Musically, one of the best version of the song I’d ever heard.
The evening wasn’t over yet though as we got treated to a brand new Chris Hicks song called “Dog Eat Dog” which I believe is on a album slated for a June or July release. Finally, they wrapped things up with an almost 20 minute version of my favorite Tucker tune ever, “Take The Highway” complete with 3 separate guitar solos and David Muse jamming on the Flute as if he were Ian Anderson. Borden gave us another thunderous drum solo and Elwood thumped some more bass licks for his spotlight solo before coming back together for an exciting, energetic final chorus. Once again, we were treated to Clay Cook on vocals. The fact that Hicks began the night and Cook ended it could perhaps be an omen that these are the 2 guys who will carry the torch once Gray calls it quits. For me, that moment cannot come too soon. Gray was truly awful IMO, but the 1000+ people in attendance didn’t seem to mind as they showed great patience during Gray’s struggles. Hey, I feel for the guy too, but enough is enough, especially when there are 3 other guys in the band (Cook, Hicks and Swanlund) who can sing better. I checked out MarshallTucker.com and saw some reviews of the show and I had to wonder if they saw the same show I did. Comments about how GREAT Gray’s voice was and how the band seemed out of sync left me scratching my head. Gray was awful and the only time the band was out of sync was when Gray strayed from the set list or screwed up. The band was REALLY good. If you like long guitar/instrumental jams and are a fan of MTB in the least, I’d recommend checking them out…..just don’t expect too much out of Gray. I do think he is one of the most genuinely nice guys in the music business and I realize that he’s the only original member left, but the time has come (came and went actually) where he needs to either learn to play guitar or keyboards and let the other guys sing, or just buy a recliner chair and sit at the sound board with a glass of Jack Daniel’s and watch these guys make him money. Molly Hatchet and Thin Lizzy have already proved that you can continue touring and recording for the fan base without any original members, so what is Gray waiting for? Pass the friggin’ torch already!
Setlist:
King Of The Delta Blues
Heard It In A Love Song
I’ll Be Loving You
Fire On The Mountain
24 Hours At A Time
This Ol’ Cowboy
Ramblin’
Searchin’ For A Rainbow
Can’t You See
Dog Eat Dog
Take The Highway
. Not trying to be a jerk or anything as MTB was and is still one of my favorite bands, but one should know what they're getting into when seeing them in concert in 2007 (or 2008). Marshall Tucker Band 2/24/07 @ Starland Ballroom
Last Saturday night I attended my 10th Marshall Tucker Band concert and first in about 6 years. I hadn’t seen the band at all since long time members Tim Lawter (bass) and Rusty Milner (guitar) left the band. 2004’s “Beyond The Horizon” was the best MTB album in years so I was particularly anxious to hear the new line up.
(I told myself I wasn’t going to review the opening bands, but I can’t help myself!) The first opening band was a four piece consisting of a solid, yet pedestrian drummer, a bassist whose habit of chewing gum with his mouth wide open was an annoying distraction through much of their set, a lefty, Les Paul slinging guitarist and a Strat playing guitar/keyboard virtuouso. Actually both guitarists were really good, but the dude singing had all the (non) range of George Thorogood and the songs, for the most part lacked hooks. Enjoyable 35 minutes of music but nothing that stuck with me…..including their name.
The second opener (I’ll tell you right now, I don’t recall their name) I swear I had seen before. They were an 8 piece funky, danceable rock group. Nice 30 minute set of upbeat tunes dampened only by their tree-hugging, anti-Bush digs. Note to all bands: The last several elections have been roughly a 50/50 ratio of people voting Democrat/Republican, whenever you evoke politics into your stageshow, left or right, you’re bound to piss off half of your audience. After 30 minutes they were told to get off the stage which set off a whiney tirade about how they were supposed to get 35 minutes. In the end they did get one last song. On one hand I understand being told you have a certain amount of stage time and then having it cut short when the time comes, but on the other, they were an 8 piece band! It took them extra time to set up and would take them extra time to get off the stage for the next act. Anyhow, they did their one last song, but not before coming across as bunch of crybabies. They were good, but again, not too memorable.
Third band got set up quite fast after the 8 piece got their shit off the stage. These guys were a 3 piece band of, probably, 20-somethings and displayed an aura of calm professionalism while in wait for the curtain to go up and their turn to begin. This turned out to be the Matt O’ree Band and they were the highlight of the night thus far. Behind a Les Paul/ Marshall tone to die for, O’ree held the audience with a powerful set of hard and heavy blues or blues-influenced hard rock depending upon your perspective. His vocals were a distinctive cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Greg Allman and the music evoked comparisons to The Allman Brothers, Pat Travers Band, Mountain, Cream and a touch of Thin Lizzy. As his time came to a close, he wrapped up the set with a KILLER version of Robin Trower’s “Day Of The Eagle”.
So now it’s time for the main act, Marshall Tucker Band celebrating 35 years of continuous touring and recording. For those keeping track, the current Marshall Tucker Band consists of original singer Doug Gray, Gray’s nephew Clay Cook on guitar, keyboards and vocals, longtime member Stuart Swanlund on guitar and vocals, ex-Firefall multi-intrumentalist David Muse on Keyboards, saxophone and flute, ex-Outlaws, Mother’s Finest, Molly Hatchet drummer Barry Borden, ex- Outlaws guitarist Chris Hicks and bassist Pat Elwood.
It was pretty clear from the get-go that things weren’t quite right for MTB. They made their entrance to their classic instrumental “Long Hard Ride” blaring through the PA……and then proceded to downtune their guitars :/. Apparently Gray called an audible to begin the set with the Chris Hicks’ sung “King Of The Delta Blues”. That song went well and good, but then they had to retune for the 1977 hit “Heard It In A Love Song” in which Gray sang in the manner in which I’ve come to expect over the last 15 years of seeing MTB……somewhere just above God-awful. Luckily, Gray didn’t even attempt to sing the chorus, instead opting to let Hicks, Cook, Swanlund and the audience sing those parts. Next we were treated to Clay Cook’s first vocal of the evening for one of my favorite Tucker tunes “I’ll Be Loving You”. Man, can Cook sing! He’s every bit as good as Gray was in his prime, perhaps better! After that, Gray called another audible and it seemed like only half the band got the message as it took a few moments for the dust to clear and me to realize that they were playing the 1975 hit “Fire On The Mountain”. This turned out to be a mess as Cook’s steel guitar couldn’t be heard too well and Gray missed his cue to begin the first verse. After some nasty looks from Cook and an “oh well” shrug from Hicks, Gray went up to the mic and muttered something. Then as the band vamped on the verse section, Gray finally found his place and began the song…..again, pretty badly.
Gray must’ve felt his voice going (he did have throat surgery last summer and it IS cold and flu season) because he then called for “24 Hours At A Time” which is usually their show closer. Gray stumbled through the first 2 verses then let the band take off for a 15 + minute jam that woulda made Jerry Garcia proud! Now MTB for years was basically a one lead guitar band, but now ALL THREE guitarists had their moment in the spotlight proving they each could be THE guy, but also were each content playing 2 chords for 4 or 5 minutes at a time while the others jammed. Really a great rendition overall despite Gray’s vocals. The whole stage shook during Borden’s drum solo spot.
Next up was “This Ol’ Cowboy” in which Gray only got partway through the first verse then stopped. Not sure if his voice was cracking or if he just forgot the words, but he left the band hang out to dry. Hicks, clearly the band leader, brought the song to an easy crashlanding only to restart it again at Gray’s affirmative nod. This time Gray got through the first verse, but then handed it off to Hicks for the second verse. After a long solo section, Gray sang the third verse, but made us wish Hicks had finished it.
After “This Ol’ Cowboy” Gray waved goodbye and left the stage while Clay Cook handled the vocals for about a 15 minute version of “Ramblin’”. Again, enough really can’t be said about Cook. The kid is GOOD! Unfortunately, Gray was back for a short and sloppy version of “Searchin’ For A Rainbow”. Next was the song most folks were waiting for, “Can’t You See”. Really a quality live version, though Gray nearly ruined it by singing the first verse. Luckily, he again handed the ball off. This time to Stuart Swanlund who probably sings the most similar to Toy Caldwell who originally sang the tune. Hicks got the third verse and Gray didn’t sing again the rest of the evening (thank God!) “Can’t You See” ended with a long guitar jam featuring all three guitarists in harmony with each other. Musically, one of the best version of the song I’d ever heard.
The evening wasn’t over yet though as we got treated to a brand new Chris Hicks song called “Dog Eat Dog” which I believe is on a album slated for a June or July release. Finally, they wrapped things up with an almost 20 minute version of my favorite Tucker tune ever, “Take The Highway” complete with 3 separate guitar solos and David Muse jamming on the Flute as if he were Ian Anderson. Borden gave us another thunderous drum solo and Elwood thumped some more bass licks for his spotlight solo before coming back together for an exciting, energetic final chorus. Once again, we were treated to Clay Cook on vocals. The fact that Hicks began the night and Cook ended it could perhaps be an omen that these are the 2 guys who will carry the torch once Gray calls it quits. For me, that moment cannot come too soon. Gray was truly awful IMO, but the 1000+ people in attendance didn’t seem to mind as they showed great patience during Gray’s struggles. Hey, I feel for the guy too, but enough is enough, especially when there are 3 other guys in the band (Cook, Hicks and Swanlund) who can sing better. I checked out MarshallTucker.com and saw some reviews of the show and I had to wonder if they saw the same show I did. Comments about how GREAT Gray’s voice was and how the band seemed out of sync left me scratching my head. Gray was awful and the only time the band was out of sync was when Gray strayed from the set list or screwed up. The band was REALLY good. If you like long guitar/instrumental jams and are a fan of MTB in the least, I’d recommend checking them out…..just don’t expect too much out of Gray. I do think he is one of the most genuinely nice guys in the music business and I realize that he’s the only original member left, but the time has come (came and went actually) where he needs to either learn to play guitar or keyboards and let the other guys sing, or just buy a recliner chair and sit at the sound board with a glass of Jack Daniel’s and watch these guys make him money. Molly Hatchet and Thin Lizzy have already proved that you can continue touring and recording for the fan base without any original members, so what is Gray waiting for? Pass the friggin’ torch already!
Setlist:
King Of The Delta Blues
Heard It In A Love Song
I’ll Be Loving You
Fire On The Mountain
24 Hours At A Time
This Ol’ Cowboy
Ramblin’
Searchin’ For A Rainbow
Can’t You See
Dog Eat Dog
Take The Highway
as most of the songs,
brother, 
