The Forum, London UK. March 1st 1999
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By Peter Viney
Garth Hudson, and The Crowmatix: Randy Ciarlante, Aaron Hurwitz and Marie Spinosa did more than an hour. As a taster, they started with a great "Don't Wait" then moved into a Toots & The Maytals piece, and via The High Price of Love to Fading Fast. The audience were there mainly for Mercury Rev - the concert was sold out before Garth was announced - and they were loving every second of it.
As were Mercury Rev, who all watched from the wings. The three voices (Randy, Marie, Aaron) blended together well, and it helped the visual focus to have a charismatic vocalist standing up front. The middle of the set was instrumental, with five pieces linking into each other.
A keyboard piece of sheer Hudson genius moved into Garth on sax for "Garth's Largo", then into a Middle-Eastern sounding keyboard piece with classical echoes (called "Caravan" on the set list). The backing throughout was fluid and supportive, with Marie playing a variety of percussion instruments along with Randy's drums and Aaron's keyboard. Then they snapped back into "Young Blood" with Garth's hoped-for vocal contribution.
Then came a piece which Garth announced as "Romanian Girls". Gino Lupari (of Four Men and a Dog) came on with bhodran, giving us three percussion players. I wouldn't know how to describe it. Eastern European folk dance whirling around. Totally compulsive listening.
And it all blended finally into a version of Jimmy-Crack-Corn featuring the three vocalists again. We feared that time would end it there - their set had been planned at 50 minutes, but the headline act were waving them to continue. Aaron said "Chest Fever", Garth wondered if they had time, but Aaron, Randy and Marie walked to the side in time-honoured fashion, and the always unfamiliar magic of "The Genetic Method" started. After a while, Garth said "Randy ?", but Aaron and Randy were waving him to keep going, it was too great to interfere with.
Then the three came back on, and that crunch as they launched into Chest Fever came. That sublime moment at Band concerts. And of course, Randy now is the voice of "Chest Fever", he has been for years. Does it superbly too. Marie and Aaron were singing with him. A thrill to see from beginning to end. This is a great four piece, and they're NOT playing what you'd expect or following Band arrangements. They're adding all the time. They have to take this line-up on the road, and let America hear it. What about an album?
Mercury Rev, judging from the set and the reaction are destined to be megastars. I caught the soundcheck and second part of the set (including Opus 40 and Goddess on the Highway), but spent the first half talking to Lee and Jan. So much to talk about. My stage pass caused least interest, as I'm the senior member (I mean in age) of the party :-) Mercury Rev's set will be reviewed by the British music press, who had their photographers there.
For those who are wondering about adventures with ticket touts, Tom Moretti of Woodstock Records and Randy Ciarlante ensured that all three of us had passes. I left Jan and Lee with Garth & The Crowmatix at the Forum at about midnight for my drive back to the coast. Two hours of open road with "Jubilation" and "Deserters Songs" on at full volume. I remembered writing in my review of "Jubilation" on the site that only Garth, Randy, Aaron and Marie appear on every single track. Someone e-mailed me a while back and said, These people are as genuine and nice as anyone you will ever meet. Couldn't say it better.
As a coda, Lee mentioned talking to Kevin Doherty who'd said that in the review on the site, the point comparing the theme of his "Don't Wait" to "Daniel & The Sacred Harp" and the Crossroads myth was wrong. I looked it up. Er, sorry, it was me. But I also said it strolls away with the best lyric on the album (and tune), and I'll stick by that. While the instrumentals and vocals are as good as at the Forum, I'm happy to take a break from analysing the lyrics. ..................But not for long!
Tue Mar 2 17:37:31 By: Peter Viney
Review taken from Jan Hoiberg's "BAND" website message section.
Tom/Woodstock Records
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