Why Do The Drums Never Cease?

Because we need drums, that's why. September 6, 1984, we saw King Sunny Ade at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia. August, 1991, we attended the best concert I've ever seen, Paul Simon on the Born at the Right Time tour, with all the Graceland/Rhythm of the Saints players, including the best drummer in the world, Steve Gadd. Tonight, Joreen and I had just as much fun as we did at those two earlier shows, thanks to Toubab Krewe. It took a while for the party to start, requiring us to sit through a solo acoustic player from Scranton, who was pretty darn good, and some Caucasian rappers from Harrisburg, who were pretty darn bad. I won't go into a long dissertation about the show. I bought their CDs and I'll be glad to play them for you. To summarize, for a day where I had to write a kidney-stone sized check to the Infernal Revenue Service, this day turned out all right.

I will say this. Once again, my one-man crusade against Arena Rockers in favor of small venue musical experiences is on track. We bought two tickets at $8.00 apiece, enjoyed a couple Belgian adult beverages (discounted on Wednesday at the brewery), bought two CDs from the band and had a blast five minutes from home -- for less then the cost of one ticket to see What's Left of the Dead. Granted, the Dead shows are getting rave reviews, and more power to those who attend. Right now, I'm going to keep checking out shows at ABC and hope for more pleasant surprises, like tonight. As of bedtime, which is now, there's no word on whether the ABC show was taped. For a taste of what they sound like on this tour, you can click here.