The last time I went to a true rock concert was sometime in the early 1980s: I went to go see Dan Fogelberg at the Forum. Other than that, my concert going has been much quieter: Peter, Paul, and Mary; Tom Paxton; the Austin Lounge Lizards; or Shep Cooke just don’t play loud enough to bring the house down.
So, I wasn’t really prepared for tonight. What was that you said? I still can’t hear you.
Tonight, we went to the CSUN Performing Arts Center to hear and see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. For those not familiar with BBVD, they are a contemporary swing band from Southern California that tours around the world. Led by Scott Morris (vocals and guitar), the band consists of Kurt Sodergren (drums and percussion), Dirk Shumaker (string bass), Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone), Glen “The Kid” Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (saxophone and clarinet), Joshua Levy (piano), Anthony Bonsera (trumpet), and Alex Henderson (trombone). As you can imagine with all that brass, they were LOUD. But sometimes, loud is good.
I didn’t note all the songs they did, but they did 90+ minutes straight through, all heavy brass swing. It included stuff from their first album, the holiday album, and their latest New Orleans tinged album. It was wonderful. It made me wish I could swing dance (in fact, I think it is something I might explore for exercise). Making the show even more energetic was the fact they were playing to a home crowd. Three of the band are CSUN graduates, and they all hail from this area.
All in all, it was a great evening (other than a whiney 12-year-old when we got home — the teen truck has definately hit). Now if my ears would just return to normal!
So, what’s next on the theatre calendar? “Songs for a New World” at the ELATE Lincoln Stegman Theatre on Sat Mar 17th @ 8pm; “The Beatles Slept Here” (a Moorpark Melodrama from the High Street Theatre Foundation) at the Secret Garden Restaurant (tickets) on Sun Mar 18th at 1:30pm; “The Last 5 Years” at REP East on Sun Mar 25th at 2pm; “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” at Cabrillo Music Theatre on Sat Mar 31st at 2pm; and “Cuttin Up’” at the Pasadena Playhouse on Sat Apr 7th at 8pm. I’ll be looking on Goldstar for tickets for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” through Broadway/LA (tickets go on sale 3/18)… and through HotTix, tickets for “Jersey Boys” at the TaperAhmanson (tickets on sale 3/12; HotTix on 5/4 or after).
