Interesting music last week. Seems like a poignant comparison between
the two great jersey shore towns that are trying to "come back" from
years of debilitating poverty and decay.
In Asbury Park for the 1st time in his trend setting idol like career
was Bob Dylan continuing a never ending tour that has seen him circle
the globe to rave reviews. On the heels of one of the great pop singers
of all times, Tony Bennett's fantastic performance at the Paramount
Theater and Dylans show at Convention marked a return of the very top
echelon of musical performers to a town that at one time hosted the very
best
of the touring musical performers for most of the 20th century. A few
miles North on Ocean Ave, Long Branch, with it's Pier Village erasing
the vintage past of this city that was once known for presidents and
royalty visiting to enjoy the grand hotels and large beach was a
contemporary of Mr. Dylan doing a free concert in the West End section,
Felix Cavalieri of The "young" Rascals.
While the comparisons between the Rascals and Dylans music carry a wide
berth, analysis would probably show many more hits for the Rascals,
while Dylan's impact on society in general and music in particular is
overwhelming.
Dylan has a couple of hits and there are 1 or 2 of his songs that can
whistled, it was The Rascals who held, along with the Beach Boys,
America's grip on the Top 40 charts and it was The Rascals who's songs
are immediately recognized my many of the era as a soundtrack of their
youth.
The tickets for Dylan sold out within minutes and were priced at
$72/seat for side of the stage seats. The atmosphere at Convention Hall
and on the Boardwalk was one of excitement and, for many Boardwalk vets,
one of wonderment. Gone was the "Beirut-by-the-sea" atmosphere that has
haunted Asbury's Boardwalk since the late '70's. Paved roads, plenty of
parking, and most important, plenty of friendly people made the forever
lurking fear of criminal intrusion a thing of the not so distant past.
As a means of drawing thousands of people to the Boardwalk to see it's
apparent rebirth, the Dylan concert was a winner. As a concert, for this
avid fan of Bob Dylan who has seen him on every tour he has done since
the memorable Dylan and the Band reunion tour of '72, when holding up a
match and cupping your hand behind your ear to hear better came into
vogue, it was the worst concert I have ever been to. To say the the
sound sucked would be an understatement. Basically, unless on the floor,
within 30 or 40 feet of the stage, the only thing you could hear was
lead guitar, snare drum, and something that resembled Dylan's voice.
After three songs I walked around to the front of the stage in the seats
and "listened" to 2 songs, hoping that the music would come through. But
was the same thing throughout Convention Hall. I have been lucky enough
to be at every Springsteen holiday show and rehearsal show at Convention
Hall and at those shows the sound was perfect. I am sure that the huge
curtain that was hanging across from the stage along the ceiling was the
main reason for the acoustic perfection. That the promoters and
management of Convention Hall allowed a performer of Dylans stature to
put on a sold out concert without doing something about the echo chamber
that is Convention Hall speaks volumes about just how important the
"customer" is to these people. Right next door, sitting empty, is the
Paramount Theater that has a reputation as having the very best
acoustics in the entire United States. To have heard Dylan and his Band
at the Paramount would have made a lasting impression on everyone who
attended.
Friday night, a perfect night with a beautiful sky, no humidity, a cool
breeze working, Long Branch had Felix Cavalieri's Rascals performing on
a stage set up in the parking lot on Brighton Ave across the street from
The Brighton Bar, the home of original music on the Jersey Shore. The
place was packed. As the sun set and the full moon rose Felix and his 4
piece band hit the stage. From the moment that Felix starting singing,
the waves of nostalgia for those old great Rascals songs just flooded
the parking lot, drawing tears and cheers and so many people singing
along. Felix voice might not have the high end it once had, but it was
all there and the melody's and the hooks just grabbed at your heart and
soul and brought you back to cruising in your car with top 40 radio
blasting those hits. Long Branch puts the concerts on and they do a
fantastic job production wise. The sound was perfect throughout the
entire area. And Felix embraced the audience and made it seem as if he
would rather be no other place than on that stage in that parking lot
playing for all those very special people who came out to hear his
music. Of all the great 60's bands, the one that is missing from the
reunion tours is The Rascals. All 4 members are alive and well, but the
acrimony between them somehow even overrides the huge payday a Rascals
tour would bring. To hear Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavalieri together
again would be something else. That is not to take away from the
musicians who made of Felix's band, they tight and the harmony's were
all right there. Look for Felix next year in Long Branch and don't miss
it, Long Branch seems to bring him back every summer.
So there you have it, the worst concert I have ever been to by a man I
have idolized since i was 12 or 13, a show that cost me close to $300 to
go to that was as disappointing as any show I have ever been to and a
show didn't cost me a dime that was as good as any show I have seen and
heard in a long long time. Long Branch and Asbury Park trying to
desperately rebound from the past still going in two separate directions.
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