Welcome to CONCERT OVERLOAD, a place for sharing my concert-going experiences. My goal is to say a few words about each and every concert I've ever attended.
CURRENT CONCERT COUNT: 868 (most of them in the Los Angeles area)
Chip Taylor is a class act. What makes me say that? Well, a classy musician would meet his fans before the show and shake a few hands. Chip Taylor did that. A class act would introduce his band before they played a single note. Chip did that, too. There.
Once again, Chip Taylor put on an outstanding show, with humor and great songs, new and old, and lots of captivating stories, mostly from his younger days. Yes, he did drop more than just a handful of names, but not in a self-aggrandizing way. Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Chet Atkins, Merle Haggard and even my beloved Bert Kaempfert got mentioned, but the night belonged to "Rock and Roll Joe", the generic name given by John Platania and Chip Taylor to the "unsung heroes of rock n' roll", the musicians whose guitar licks and drum beats have been heard by zillions, but remained anonymous behind the superstars they were supporting.
Concert announcement in the window at McCabe's
The bare-bone concert announcement posted in the window at McCabe's gave no clue as to the massive talent that was about to take the stage inside. Chip came out with John Platania, best known as Van Morrison's longest serving guitarist, bassist Tony Mercadante and - huge surprise !! - the young and gifted Kendel Carson. John, Kendel and Chip had just released their latest collaboration, an album titled "Rock And Roll Joe", so appropriately, they went on to play the album in its entirety. Except for "I Can't Let Go", the old Hollies hit from the 1960s, the album featured all new material, written primarily by John, Kendel and Chip. The whole thing sounded good from start to finish.
Chip Taylor's set list
With the new album behind them, it was time for Chip's biggest hits, "Angel Of The Morning" and "Wild Thing", played in quick succession, followed by Chip's more recent "Charcoal Sky". Next, Kendel took center stage (not literally) to perform "Ten Lost Men" and "Oh Baby Lie Down", both from "Alright Dynamite", her second album. The show ended with Chip's "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee".
The highlight of the show? Hard to tell. Maybe Kendel's beautiful voice. Or John's guitar playing. Or Chip's songs. Or all of the above.
After the show, I had once again the pleasure of shaking hands and chatting for a minute or two with Chip Taylor, who, stunningly, remembered me from over a year ago. Wow.
Chip Taylor shaking hands with fans before the show
John Platania, Chip Taylor & Kendel Carson at McCabe's (June 2011)
John Platania, Chip Taylor & Kendel Carson at McCabe's (June 2011)
Spotted among the crowd: guitar legend Albert Lee
Chip Taylor meeting Albert Lee, with John Platania also present
Chip Taylor and Albert Lee chatting up the ladies
Kendel Carson blending with the crowd after the show
What a concert that was! Combine Chip's incredible songwriting and great delivery with Kendel Carson's youthful singing and fiddle playing, then throw in John Platania and his electric guitar and what you get is an unforgettable evening of music, the kind most of us could only experience at McCabe's.
A few months before the show I started listening to Kendel's excellent debut album, "Rearview Mirror Tears", then two weeks before the show I got to hear her equally good sophomore album, "Alright Dynamite". Chip, Kendel and John came out together and remained together on stage for the entire duration of the concert, with Tony Mercadante helping out on bass.
Wearing one of my McCabe's T-shirts, I sat in the front row, right in front of Kendel, who was sporting, somewhat surprisingly, a Dire Straits T-shirt.
One could clearly see how much Chip and Kendel enjoyed being up there on the stage. They played songs from both of Kendel's albums, plus some Chip Taylor numbers, both old and new. The highlights of the show were "Mercedes Benz" and "I Like Trucks", which quickly became a sing-along. And speaking of sing-alongs: we also got to hear "Wild Thing", complete with Chip telling the audience how he wrote it and who he first played it to: brother Jon Voight.
Here's an excellent live-in-studio clip featuring Chip Taylor, Kendel Carson and John Platania, plus two unidentified musicians on bass and improvised drums:
The second set started with a phone call placed by Chip to his brother, Jon Voight, who was supposed to appear, but was stuck in bed with the flu. Placing his cell phone against the microphone, we could all hear Jon's voice, it was fun.
Kendel's virtuoso fiddle playing took center stage during an instrumental interlude, an old Canadian sea-themed folk song whose title I do not know.
Chip had a couple of guests, Killer Hale & Chester from the Blood Mountain Boys, an obscure band who had an underground hit called "Yellowstone Thyme". Chip co-wrote the song ages ago but still remembered the words. The final song of the evening was Chip's "I Wasn't Born In Tennessee".
After the show, the musicians mingled with the fans, which gave me the opportunity to shake hands and chat with both Kendel and Chip. To this day I treasure their autographs on Kendel's "Alright Dynamite" CD. What a night!
Chip Taylor and Yours Truly at McCabe's (July 2009)
Kendel Carson and Yours Truly at McCabe's (July 2009)
