Into Something Good

… Dreams came true last night.

Kates and I went to the Genesee for the “Tribute to the ‘60s” show featuring The Grass Roots, The Buckinghams and Herman’s Hermits …

Things got off to a less than stellar start when I got stuck at work later than I’d planned (… I got stuck writing about a loone who threatened to blow up the police station … ) and I didn’t get time to go home, grab my Hermits records for autographs or a camera. I got down to pick up Kates in just enough time for us to grab a quick bite at Taco Bell before we buzzed over to the theater …

We walked in just as the Grass Roots were taking the stage as the opening act and took our seats about 20 rows back on the floor near the center of the stage …

The Grass Roots were OK, but might want to think about retiring soon. Lead singer Rob Grill looked nearly lifeless and the songs -- though still fun to hear -- lacked pizzazz. All the big hits were there -- “I‘d Wait A Million Years,” “Temptation Eyes,” “Where Were You When I Needed You,” and “Sooner Or Later.” They finally got the crowd going, singing the sha-la-las on “Let’s Live For Today” and then ended the show with “Midnight Confessions.”

One of the bright spots of the Grass Roots’ show was Grill’s constant humor … Kates and I almost felt out of place as 90 percent of the crowd was white-haired and in their 50s or 60s. And Grill, at one point, said to the crowd, “Welcome to the Tribute to the ‘60s, and by that I mean you’re not supposed to be here unless you’re in your 60s …” Grill also joked about the old days when people played records, teasing us younger folks in the crowd as if we’d never heard of them. Jokes like that continued through the night with all three bands …

Next up, The Buckinghams … I saw these guys during the summer of ’94 in Kansas City, but I remember little about that show other than them still sounding really good -- not to mention “Kind Of A Drag” is one of my all-time faves. So before they came on, I leaned over to Kates and said The Buckinghams should put on a pretty good show …”

I didn’t realize it was going to be really good…

Wow. As they ran off “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song),” “Don’t You Care,” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” -- Carl Giammarese’s vocals hadn’t aged a bit and Tom Scheckel was a gas to watch on the drums. In fact, Scheckel was as exciting as any performer on the stage last night -- looking like one of the all-time greats, sweat dripping from his hair and beating his drums until they had nothing left …

Then, the Buckinghams really made sure we got our money’s worth … With a three-piece brass section backing the band throughout the set, Giammarese mentioned The Buckinghams were one of the first rock bands to implement brass into their music, along with Chicago. But even then, it was hard to imagine what was about to happen … They sampled a portion of “Beginnings,” paused for a moment and then started in on “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” -- full instrumental intro, percussion and all. If you closed your eyes and just listened to the full band with Giammarese’s vocals, you might have sworn it was Chicago up there playing … Talk about “time enough to cry” !?

And then!!!! They broke into “Make Me Smile,” once again playing the intro, brass, drum solo and vocals to perfection!! … Talk about “make me smile” !?

By the end, my eyes were flooded. I was bursting with glee, having heard those songs played live, and played so well …

The Buckinghams ended their set with “Susan” and “Kind Of A Drag.” … Awesome.

And then Kates and I held our breath with hopes that Peter Noone and the Hermits would be just as good.

They were … Like Giammarese, Noone’s voice has barely aged and he’s still bursting with the same youthful energy he had in the Hermits heyday; at 59, Noone is still a wonderful entertainer. The band came out with “Just A Little Bit Better,” “A Must To Avoid,” “Wonderful World” “No Milk Today,” "Silouettes," and “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat” mixed with Noone taking off on his own impressions/parodies of Davy Jones doing “Daydream Believer,” a hilarious Mick Jagger doing “Start Me Up,” and a Johnny Cash number.

“Dandy,” a song I’ve always kind of hated, rocked in a way I‘ve never heard before -- and I loved it. And I smiled and sang all way through “I’m Into Something Good,” one of my all-time faves. Then, Noone slowed things down with “End of the World” and a smooth version of “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter,” during which all but the lead guitarist put down their instruments, leaving just Noone’s vocals and the guitarist strumming the ukulele-like accompaniment … It was pretty sweet.

Finally, Noone brought out “I'm Henry VIII, I Am” and got the crowd into it, encouraging us to shout out the verses with him again and again and again. Then he ended the show with “There’s a Kind of Hush” and took a bow …

As we walked past Noone signing autographs in the lobby on the way out, I regretted not having my records once more, but took solace in my personal conversation with him last week. And the simple excitement of seeing him performing live and up close …

Yeah. Kates and I listened and sang to Herman’s Hermits all the way home …

*Go here to read about my interview with Peter Noone.
*Here's a classic video of Noone and the Hermits performing "I'm Into Something Good."
*Here's a good read about Noone from one of the local newspapers ...