Zappa Plays Zappa

[Felix]

Ok, I know I'm not the only Frank Zappa fan here - although there aren't many around these parts - so I figured I'd give this a shot. Is anyone going to any shows on this tour, or have you already been to one? I'm quite curious about it, and will certainly be buying my tickets for the Minneapolis show in the near future.

 

So yea, who else is going to one of the shows?

[bmags]

zappa ignores columbia for some reason

[3E8]

PEACHES

[LowerCaseRepublican]

Flaxx is like King of the ST Zappa fans. He may very well be going.

[Felix]

Flaxx is like King of the ST Zappa fans. He may very well be going.

Yea, I remember talking some Zappa with him awhile ago, but I dont think ZPZ is going down to Florida on this tour (or wherever he lives, I dont know that either )

 

And yea, I bought my tickets today. I cannot wait

[FlaSoxxJim]

Yea, I remember talking some Zappa with him awhile ago, but I dont think ZPZ is going down to Florida on this tour (or wherever he lives, I dont know that either )

 

And yea, I bought my tickets today. I cannot wait

 

I've been such an ST stranger of late I didn't even see this thread!

 

A trip to Chicago to take in a June show doesn't phase me. I usually haul the family back up to take in a couple Sox games every summer, so hopefully there is a homestand at the same time as the FZFZ gig.

 

My work group is in the process of being reorganized out of existence by the end of the year so I'm not sure what my employment status or even my location will be in June, but I'd like very much to take in this show.

 

I was at Frank's last two Chicago dates at the Auditorium Theater for Broadway the Hard Way, so it would be cool to go back there to see Dweezil & Co. play there. Hopefully the US dates get more guest appearances than Napolean and Terry and Steve, but just seeing those three together in a lineup would be great. Ike Willis makes regular appearances with a FZ tribute band up in the northeast and he was part of the 1995 The Band From Utopia line up (with Bobby, Chad, Ed, Art Barrow, the Fowlers, and others) and, so unless the Zappa Trust is down on him for still making an unsanctioned dime off of Frank's music, I'm sure he'd love to participate.

 

Music is the Best

 

---

 

Edit to say: damn - I gues the dates i had were for the postponed 2006 summer dates, and not 2007. So all thay are doing is a coupel weeks of October dates??

 

OK, now I'm sad. I won't be able to swing ny of those.

Edited September 9, 2006 by FlaSoxxJim

[Felix]

Edit to say: damn - I gues the dates i had were for the postponed 2006 summer dates, and not 2007. So all thay are doing is a coupel weeks of October dates??

 

OK, now I'm sad. I won't be able to swing ny of those.

They'll probably tour again next year, Dweezil seems set on spreading his fathers music

[Felix]

Best show of my life, easily worth double what I paid for. They duplicated Zappa's sound, and Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio, and Napoleon Murphy Brock have yet to lose a step. Amazing show, and I'll definitely be going again if they ever come anywhere near me again

 

Also, I really hope that they release a CD/DVD for this set of concerts. I'm thinking that they will, which would be incredible.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Best show of my life, easily worth double what I paid for. They duplicated Zappa's sound, and Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio, and Napoleon Murphy Brock have yet to lose a step. Amazing show, and I'll definitely be going again if they ever come anywhere near me again

 

Also, I really hope that they release a CD/DVD for this set of concerts. I'm thinking that they will, which would be incredible.

 

I'm extremely jealous, Felix, but really excited that you got to take in the show and that it was something special.

 

So, how about a set list for those of us unable to catch the tour?

 

Music is the Best

[Felix]

I'm extremely jealous, Felix, but really excited that you got to take in the show and that it was something special.

 

So, how about a set list for those of us unable to catch the tour?

 

Music is the Best

I can't give you a perfect set list yet (can't seem to find one), but there is an attempt at one posted here along with some reviews of the show. There is a list for tonights show in Ohio which looks incredibly similar here, and setlists/reviews of every other show so far here.

 

Overall, it was fantastic. My favorite few songs of the night were "I'm the Slime", "Black Napkins" and "The Black Page" (which was done in a timeline fashion, showing the early parts of the song in development with Bozzio working on the drumline, then introducing the melody with Steve Vai coming out). Quite possibly my favorite was the finale, a song that I -- shamefully -- didn't know the name of until DZ mentioned it, but had heard before a few times, "Regyptian Strut". Dweezil hit the nail on the head before starting the song up, saying that its a lesser known song of FZ's but one that best 'describes' his musical style. I've listened to it a handful of times since, and I must say, I agree. It's quickly become one of my favorites, which now leads me to thinking there are so many of his songs that I am not familiar with, and am missing out on. I've got a lot of work to do

 

Also, Dweezil REALLY impressed me. I admit, I didn't think he was that great of a guitar player before seeing the show (I'd listened to "Automatic"), but he really surprised me. He has a stage prescene up there with the best of them, and had some incredible solos throughout the show, but specifically in "The Torture Never Stops". It's amazing to see him play his fathers music with such ease, despite how incredibly difficult some of those songs are to transcribe.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

I can't give you a perfect set list yet (can't seem to find one), but there is an attempt at one posted here along with some reviews of the show. There is a list for tonights show in Ohio which looks incredibly similar here, and setlists/reviews of every other show so far here.

 

Overall, it was fantastic. My favorite few songs of the night were "I'm the Slime", "Black Napkins" and "The Black Page" (which was done in a timeline fashion, showing the early parts of the song in development with Bozzio working on the drumline, then introducing the melody with Steve Vai coming out). Quite possibly my favorite was the finale, a song that I -- shamefully -- didn't know the name of until DZ mentioned it, but had heard before a few times, "Regyptian Strut". Dweezil hit the nail on the head before starting the song up, saying that its a lesser known song of FZ's but one that best 'describes' his musical style. I've listened to it a handful of times since, and I must say, I agree. It's quickly become one of my favorites, which now leads me to thinking there are so many of his songs that I am not familiar with, and am missing out on. I've got a lot of work to do

 

Also, Dweezil REALLY impressed me. I admit, I didn't think he was that great of a guitar player before seeing the show (I'd listened to "Automatic"), but he really surprised me. He has a stage prescene up there with the best of them, and had some incredible solos throughout the show, but specifically in "The Torture Never Stops". It's amazing to see him play his fathers music with such ease, despite how incredibly difficult some of those songs are to transcribe.

 

Many thanks for the show highlights. You can't beat yourself up too much over not knowing something like Regyptian Strut by name, but if you don't have the Sleep Dirt album (or the eventual Lather rebox) seek it out because there's a lot of great obscure stuff there.

 

I am trhe Slime and a Torture with Terrry Bozzio on drums would have been worth the price of admission right there.

 

Seems like Bozzio's presence in the lineup had an impact on the material selected more than Napolean's. When I get the time I need to pour over the set lists. And if you go so far as to seek out someone who managed to come up with a recording. please let me know.

[Felix]

Well, I "have" the Sleep Dirt album (along with nearly every other album) on my computer, but I haven't listened to it much. There's just so much of it that I haven't been able to get to all of his albums

 

See, once I get rich, I'll be purchasing this. but until then, I have that collection on my computer with a small amount in actual CD form (I'm working on making it grow ).

 

 

And yea, once Terry Bozzio came out, the songs were "his" (I'm so Cute, Punky's Whips, etc.). However, Napoleon was out for most of the concert (he went off to the side for a few tracks, those without vocals or a sax part for him), so he was a more "central" role than TB.

 

Also, there are some recordings (from what I can see) on Zappateers' ZPZ forum, but you have to be registered to see the page I just linked to, and it doesn't look like there are any recordings from this leg of the tour yet. Still, Zappateers has a lot of bootleg recordings from various concerts from when Zappa was alive and touring. Quality isn't that great on most (as expected), but still fun to listen to some of them.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

I'm the dinosaur with vinyl versions of just about all of the FZ catalog up through Guitar and YCDTOS Vol. 1, so I too would love to come into a chunk of change to get the Ryko disks.

 

If you haven't checked this out yet, pick up QuadrophiliaC at your soonest convenience. I have to use other people's surround sound systems to listen to it in the way it was intended, but it's really something.

 

I have maybe 20 or so FZ boots other than the Beat the Boots set. I'm ashamed I don't have more and need to rob a bank to get some money to make it happen.

[Felix]

I noticed Quadrophiliac on Zappa.com awhile ago, and have been meaning to pick it up, but just haven't been motivated enough to look specifically for it. That, plus I haven't seen it when lightly browsing at some CD stores, and yea, I'm right there with you on the robbing a bank idea. I really need to get more of this stuff in CD form, rather than just having 1169 Zappa songs on my computer (according to iTunes).

 

My Zappa collection on CD makes me shamed, but then I realize that I'm a poor college student. One day though, it will be large

[Felix]

Well, another tour going this year, you headed to a show Jim? I've got my tickets when they're in Jersey (perfect timing for when I go home for summer break), and the set list looks excellent. This time, Ike Willis is the guest of choice, I don't think Bozzio, Vai, or Murphy Brock will be there, but I'm excited to see Ike.

Edited July 27, 2007 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

Well, another tour going this year, you headed to a show Jim? I've got my tickets when they're in Jersey (perfect timing for when I go home for summer break), and the set list looks excellent. This time, Ike Willis is the guest of choice, I don't think Bozzio, Vai, or Murphy Brock will be there, but I'm excited to see Ike.

 

I was away on work-related travel when the tour came through last time, so yeah, if they come withing a hundred miles or so of me I'm going to get there if at all possible.

 

If only the Missuz was a fan, then we could plan a vacation around a show somewhere cool. . .

[Felix]

Doesn't look like they're going near Florida this year, but one of these years they have to

 

 

And oops, it's actually Ray White this time around, not Ike Willis.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Doesn't look like they're going near Florida this year, but one of these years they have to

And oops, it's actually Ray White this time around, not Ike Willis.

 

 

It would be cool to see Ray, and I'm kind of surprised he was invited on. He was slated to be part of the Broadway the Hard Way tour (FZ's last ), but flaked out and disappeared early in pre-tour rehersals.

 

Ike and Ray together always made for a fun group. Ike in particular used to strive to crack Frank up on stage during shows. All of the odd references to the old Lenny Bruce Lone Ranger routine that pop up in the '83-84 concert recordings was pretty much Frank and Ike trying to crack each other up.