I adore The Lovetones. To have the chance to see them perform in front of me at Pianos, in New York City, was an enormous joy, and I should admit,
quite an honor.
The music of The Lovetones has reached the far corners of the world, and the four albums they have recorded and released since 2002 have made quite an impact. Matt Tow has a knack for crafting songs that may have identifiable influences (like say, The Beatles, or The Byrds, or Oasis), but retain their precious individuality. No Lovetones song sounds like another. Each is its own little four-minute-gem. When The Lovetones took the stage at Pianos and began playing Mantra, from their album Meditations, I felt a bit weak in the knees; it was just thrilling to see one of my favorite songs performed so perfectly right in front of me. When they played Wintertime In Hollywood, I got a bit choked-up: this song is simple in thought, yet absolutely stunningly composed. Wintertime In Hollywood is someone saying 'I'm far away from you now, but only in miles, my love.' Rob Campanella played the slide guitar on Wintertime, and seeing him up there playing guitar and keys for The Lovetones was almost unreal. These guys are amazing musicians, just a joy to watch.
The Lovetones' full setlist for the night was 14 songs long, and included most of my favorites from their catalogue; however, due to time constraints, they had to cut it down to about 9 songs. Matt Tow and the band did get to extend a few of the songs; the jam on Navigator gave me chills. Love and Redemption, Inside A Dream, Everybody Hides Away, Journeyman, all played to perfection by Mr. Matt Tow (on a rare and obviously-cherished Vox Ultrasonic), Mr. Rob Campanella (on 3 different guitars, including ANOTHER Vox, and also keys), Mr. Matt Sigley (on a Fender bass & also on keys & vocals), and a phenomenal guest-drummer (I unfortunately did not catch his name).
I will go on record as saying The Lovetones were the BEST band I ever saw perform. I wish them the best for the rest of their tour, and once again I tell them: You are loved in New York, and thank you for coming here!
3 comments:
Oh you know how I feel about that band, they're absolutely amazing. Reading your entry actually turned me all upside down, that's how much I wish I could have been there at the gig.
Nice review, Terri. It was cool to be at this show right in the front there with you. It's always interesting to get a different perspective on the exact same performance. Obviously, you see things differently than I do. We need to link each other's blogs at the end of our own - will make for a great cross-reference!
Choice words Terri! I agree with everything including the fact that I wish the entire set list had been played. I never knew Matt Sigley could jam so well on the keys and Rob did a great job of filling in. BTW Nelson Bragg was the drummer and usually backs up Brian Wilson on tour. Hopefully they will back very soon.
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