The Giant Panther

I know it's fashionable to trash rock bands that take the stage past their 50th birthday, but most, if not all, of that criticism comes from a much younger demographic. When you are talking rock bands in their 60's forget it. I've seen The Who and The Rolling Stones combined roughly 25 times and aside from some stale set lists I've yet to see a band perform as well consistently with the possible exceptions of U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Want to know why? E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-E. There is no substitute for it it seems. Call them oldies bands or whatever other sarcastic and dismissive labels you want, but these bands deliver the goods. I must have over 1000 concerts under my considerable belt. I'd like to believe I have a clue. I go see new bands and old alike. Last night's J. Geils Band concert at the new House of Blues was phenomenal. I'm so glad I was there.

The band took the stage at 9:25 PM and it was instant gratification on the spot. First I Look at The Purse. Peter Wolf has a habit of twirling his hands like that woman behind home plate in Cincinnati. If you've ever seen footage of the 1975 World Series you will see a woman trying to distract the Boston pitchers by rocking back and forth in her seat and twirling her hands. It is pretty comical when you go back and watch it. When Peter Wolf does it it's electrifying. I love it. The J. Geils Band broke up at the absolute height of their fame in 1983 over internal squabbles. I don't know how a band that big that had worked so hard to climb the mountain can blow it all up just when it was all paying off, but that is what they did. A Blues band at heart, Geils put out three straight big sellers beginning in 1978 with Sanctuary, Love Stinks in 1980 and Freeze Frame in 1982. Purists would argue, and I wouldn't give them too much of a battle on this point, that their very first album called simply The J. Geils Band, was their best. Others might say Bloodshot (1973). If you own these five plus Nightmares (1974) and Monkey Island (1977) you've pretty much got this band covered as far as studio recordings go, but it was their live show that audiences responded to. Between Detroit and Boston The J. Geils Band were as big as anybody in the 1970's. Peter Wolf was hanging with Mick Jagger and John Lee Hooker for crying out loud. Boston has a killer rock legacy, but if you boil it down for the rest of the nation you are talking Boston, The Cars, Aerosmith and The J. Geils Band. The first band I'd knock off this list is Boston though their debut album was the biggest seller of all of these bands. Unfortunately it's been beaten to a bloody pulp by Classic Rock stations to the point where I may never play it again. Seriously. The couldn't really sustain after that though they had their moments. Aerosmith from 1973 to 1976 were as good as Boston rock has ever seen. Period. But they lost their way a bit after that time frame. The Cars, like Geils, split up at the height of their fame around 1984 as well and never looked back. Then there was The J. Geils Band.

The venue for last night's concert was The House of Blues. Folks who have lived in Boston for decades will know that the original House of Blues was opened in Cambridge, MA on Thanksgiving Day 1992. The club was a stone's throw from Harvard Yard. It was quaint and different and it catered to the Blues. I absolutely love the Blues and so did Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Aerosmith, River Phoenix, Paul Shaffer and apparently Harvard itself. They were among the original contributors to this franchise. Now they have tremendous facilities in New Orleans, Las Vegas and Chicago to name three other HOBs that I have visited. The problem with the Cambridge HOB was that it has zero parking and it was tiny. Great for exclusive opening nights and all, but lousy for consistent business. It eventually closed somewhere around 2002 leaving Boston without a HOB for several years in this decade. Long time Boston nightclub Czar Pat Lyons finally relinquished control of his prized Metro-Citi-Avalon-Spit-Axis clubs and leased his buildings to the HOB chain even though he was in the midst of refurbishing the site yet again. He was seen at the show last night of course. It was opening night at HOB last night and there were issues. Knowing Boston somebody obviously didn't get their beak wet regarding the new venue because they had people waiting in line in the rain outside for hours in some cases. The show was substantially general admission. WTF right? I showed up around 8:30 PM and I figure I waited some 30 minutes myself. Then a first floor bathroom flooded. How does that happen on opening night? The line for the remaining men's rooms dominated the line for the ladies rooms. Go figure. These were minor disturbances though. The sound was great, though Magic Dick's harmonica needed more volume, and it was a night to run into old friends. I found an old college buddy I hadn't seen in years. Tickets that were $125 face were selling on Craigslist an hour before the show for $250. It wasn't a good night to be needing a ticket. This was one of the hottest shows in Boston since Aerosmith opened the now defunct Mama Kin Music Hall in the 90's.

The J. Geils Band has not performed together much over the years. I remember they played an outdoor shed called Great Woods (at the time) in the mid 90's, but I couldn't make that show. I did see them play June 19, 1999 at the Paradise here in Boston. That was a great show too, but last night roughly 2400 spectators got a spectacular show. Homework, Sanctuary, Musta Got Lost, Hard Drivin' Man, Give It To Me, Love Stinks and on and on...to think The Gypsy Kings were going to be the first show at this Blues Rock palace made me sick. No offense intended to those folks. Thank god a home grown Blues talent stepped up to the microphone first. I'm here to tell you these guys could record a new record right now and it would sell. They were very tight for not having played in ten years together. It was a great night all around. I'm leaving you with an old J. Geils favorite of mine from Bloodshot called Back To Get Ya. I don't think this band will be touring any other cities any time soon, but if you ever get a chance to check these guys out in concert you owe to yourself. What a blast. I doubt very much if anything I have written here conveys the sheer fun of the evening last night, but I had to give it a shot. New venue, great band, old friends, great time. Freeze (Frame) it!

The J. Geils Band - Back To Get Ya.mp3 YSI