A veritable dream team rolled into Southern California on Sunday evening to deliver an action-packed, incredibly tight program of music. The brief? Recreate the sprawling, eclectic tracks that comprise The Beatles' White Album, live without a net.
The musicians in question are five young upstarts who have a bright future ahead of them.
Mickey Dolenz, Todd Rundgren, Joey Molland, Christopher Cross, Jason Scheff backed up by a stellar supporting cast, absolutely obliterated an ecstatic, packed house at the Magnolia.
Taking the stage to a prerecorded snippet of "Revolution 9", the players leaned into "Back In The USSR" which segued into "Dear Prudence". This was the only instance where they followed the album sequence, though the set was very well designed. Following a killer version of "Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey" led by Rundgren, Christopher Cross took up a note-perfect "Martha My Dear" before handling over the spotlight to Joey Molland, who nailed "Savoy Truffle". He received a round of applause for being the lone Liverpudlian in the ensemble cast.
Just as the crowd was catching their collective breath, Mickey Dolenz strode back out to kick off the bonus round. Thanking the great songwriters who contributed to The Monkees discography, he peeled off "I'm a Believer" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in rapid succession. Both he and Rundgren were by far the most animated performers, bringing a touch of theater to everything that they touched.
Molland then chipped in with two of Badfinger's best known tunes ("Baby Blue" and "No Matter What") which he had help on harmonies/guitar from Rundgren. Being the pro that he is, when Molland mistakenly went for the bridge instead of the guitar solo in "No Matter What", he did a mock panicked gesture and coolly jumped back into place to wring those iconic notes from his Gibson. Easy when you know how. San Diego born Scheff was next up, remarking how surreal it was to be back in front of hometown supporters. "25 or 6 to 4" was a shred-fest, featuring Wayne Avers raising the ghost of Terry Kath. He and Rundgren melted their respective fretboards, as Scheff effortlessly knocked his vocal out of the park. Rundgren then performed two of his biggest hits, "I Saw The Light" and "Hello, It's Me", encouraging maximum participation from the faithful on the latter. Christopher Cross was then given a humorous introduction, teaming with Scheff on "Sailing" and "Ride Like the Wind". (Cross soloed like a madman, albeit a very talented one) He has not lost one iota of that golden voice, either. Joking about bribing their musical director with a thousand dollars just for the privilege of getting to sing "Honey Pie", he then did so with obvious joy. Dolenz reappeared for "Why Don't We Do It In the Road?" and the first portion of the show closed with Rundgren handling "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". He took the opportunity to wind out on his custom painted, psychedelic axe.
Let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby and get to know the rest of the players
It takes the right combination of voices and instrumentalists to pull off this type of effort successfully. Nailing the iron clad harmonies that the Beatles were known for is no mean feat, though it is important that all sonic nuances are covered properly. The White Album has cuts that boast guitar noises so dirty that you need to shower even after minimal exposure to them. Arrangements also feature augmentation that needs to be present so as not to disappoint the more discerning listener.
To that end, musical director Joey Curatolo, who chipped in on keyboards/guitar/vocals, did a masterful job of assembling the band. (Fun fact: he also served the same role for the popular "Rain: A Tribute To The Beatles" show). The aforementioned Wayne Avers was brilliant on guitar, handling those signature lead parts with taste and razor-sharp attention to detail. (He is Dolenz' lead player/musical director)
Drummer Darin Murphy, who played John Lennon in the Broadway Musical "Lennon" was stellar, not only steady as an atomic clock on his Ludwig kit, but also in contributing excellent vocal harmonies. Keyboardist Gil Assayas, who is Todd Rundgren's right-hand man when he's out touring, rocked the 88s, in addition to covering all key string and horn parts with very nimble fingers.
Following a brief intermission that was filled with the music of Bert Kaempfert blasted at top volume to cleanse the palate (kidding!), the back nine of the production commenced in understated fashion with Cross on acoustic. He did "Blackbird" on his own, while the others joined him on "I Will" and "Mother Nature's Son". Sheff took the lead on "Julia". It didn't escape the attention of anyone present that this was the 39th anniversary of John Lennon's death. His spirit was very much alive as very respectful readings of his songs filled the venue. "Revolution 1" was a wonder. As Molland's only lead vocal in the second half, he really made it count.
Highlights abound, the energy increased as the band rolled on, playing with the abandon of teenagers. Thousands of hours of gigging experience were on display, as all in attendance were swept along with their passion. Todd played ringleader and showman to the hilt, dressing as though he had just left the ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for "Sexy Sadie". He then did a quick change into full jungle hunter gear, accompanied by a power squirt rifle with which he baptized the first few rows as he giggled through the intro line of "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", recovering quickly to pull off a spot on Lennon imitation.
Watching Mickey Dolenz power through "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" was sublime. The filthy riffs in the "I need a fix" section were perfectly executed by Dr. Avers. Similarly, no distorted punches were pulled during a devastating "Helter Skelter", which Rundgren screamed with every ounce of conviction. These guys were all in exceptional voice. No cheating was undertaken by tuning down an octave and they treated every note with respect.
"Birthday" got everyone up and singing together again as did the finale, an encore reading of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which capped off an incandescent night of music. Taking their bows to a well deserved standing ovation, the players trooped off. The crowd filed out to the strains of Ringo crooning "Good Night", with smiles on their faces that a nuclear detonation could not wipe off.
From my perspective (third row, center) the front of house sound was impeccable as was every note that wafted from the stage. Mind blowing show in every respect. They take their collective talents to the Wiltern in LA tomorrow night. Your only excuses for not attending should be death or jail. It is that good. You'll be inspired out of your skull while revisiting a treasure trove of exceptional music.
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