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Vol. 2 No. 2 (May 1, 2004) |
An unofficial newsletter for fans of the rock group BETTER THAN EZRA |
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| IN THIS ISSUE:
Dude, Where's My Hobbit? & Philly Dambuilders/Noho The Reviews News & Links TTOY Hall of Fame TTOY Hall of Fame Map of Ezra TTOY Hall of Fame NEW Archives |
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK "Me, I do
the only thing that stops me - Tim Curry I feel like I have to be especially careful not to offend anybody writing this column, but this subject has been on my mind for a while. Several years ago I read a review of a BTE show where the youthful writer slammed the band. He writer sort of admitted the other 799 people in the joint had a great time, but he didn’t (By the way many of us have recordings of the show and it was outstanding). I digress... Anyway, one thing he said annoyed me no end. This guy was derisive of the fact that the crowd was comprised of fans of all ages -- i.e., kids in high school through forty year olds. I thought this a particularly stupid comment for several reasons. First, doesn’t a sold out house filled with fans of all ages indicate a broad musical appeal? Isn’t this what a band strives for? After all, it is popular entertainment. Perhaps he’d be comfortable with a bunch of young kids seeing the band that’s MTV’s flavor du jour that will be here and gone within a year or two? BTE has an outstanding musical catalogue that has kept pace with the times and a live show second to none. That’s why all those people are there whether they are fourteen or forty. Also, having a broad cross section of fans is a good thing in and of itself. Why? Not to pick on young people, but we’ve all been to shows where young folks (and, admittedly, sometimes not so young people) get out of control a shows and make a nuisance of themselves. We’ve all seen it. But having some older people in the audience maybe tones things down a bit. Perhaps I’m wrong about this, but I think some young people have a sneaking suspicion us senior rockers are actually undercover security staff. Either way, maybe they’re chilling out a little just because there’s some older folks in the house. This makes for a better show for the band and the fans, no matter their ages. In reality, every age group of fans gains from the presence of the other. Because of their common love for BTE, older fans and younger fans often interact at shows even though they might not otherwise meet. Older fans benefit from this by learning about cool new bands from the youngsters and the older fans can share a bit of their knowledge of classic music to which young people may not have been exposed. And not to be too harsh, but some older fans are darn near Luddites when it comes to the internet and live recordings. For instance, thanks to timely advice from younger fans, I figured out how to do such miraculous procedures as transferring cassette recordings into mp3. You might think this is an exaggeration, but a lot of us didn’t grow up with personal computers... Like I said, I hope I didn’t offend anyone writing this column. That certainly was not my intent. What I really wanted to do – and hopefully accomplished – was to point out that the fact that BTE draws a crowd of different ages that is testament to their broad appeal AND a benefit to the concertgoer, no matter his or her age. Cheers, EnglishDave * Yes, that's the Tim Curry of Rocky Horror Picture Show fame. The song is called "I Do the Rock." |
DUDE, WHERE'S MY HOBBIT? The Serenade is proud to again bring Ezralites comprehensive coverage of BTE's Northeast mini tour and a whole lot more. If last year's mini tour was the "Pootie Tang" mini tour, this year has to become known as the "Hobbit" mini tour as Kevin Griffin kept concertgoers in stitches describing partying with Merry the Hobbit during Mardi Gras. Here, for instance, is what KG told the sold-out Boston crowd.
From Norfolk to Philadelphia and on to Boston and New York City, the fun did not stop. Our coverage begins with the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia where Ezralites experienced a show quite different from the others on the mini tour. How so? Read on... GETTING CRAZY AT THE TROC It’s funny how BTE plays a certain way at specific venues. At Philadelphia’s Trocadero, the guys seem to turn in some of their loosest, most banter-ful shows. This particular show was very similar to the infamous August 12, 2000 Troc show where the guys went cover-crazy with the guys from opening act Rustic Overtones. Looking at the setlist, you could call this a How Does Your Garden Grow redux show. The crowd was treated to a full five songs from this landmark CD. After a very solid opening set by newcomers Ingram Hill, BTE kicked off the set with "Particle." This is a wonderful opening song that has been gone far too long. Either way, Ezralites are glad it’s back. And the song is a showcase for mesmerizing drumming talent of Travis Aaron McNabb.
"Live again" was the next Garden-era offering. As Jim tickled the ivories, KG greeted the "beautiful people" in the audience and commented on how Jim Payne made such a complex piano part so sound so very simple. He also gave the crowd the now customary "trouble you" finger and Tom D. Knocked-out an especially powerful bass solo. Staccato drumbeats announced to the crowd that "Good" was up next. In a major change of S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure), Tom Drummond ventured over to the other side of the stage during the song. This sort of maneuver is normally reserved for "King of New Orleans." (Story continued on page 2).
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