Mike & Moria
» Location: SoCal
Unbelievable...
We saw Frank Marino Saturday night in Santa Ana at the Galaxy Theater. We were totally blown away!
This was the best Frank performance of the three I've seen since the late 70s. He did play with a backup guitarist (who also plyed electric violin)--kind of had me doubting at first, but it did enable him to stay out there "in front" with a really full sound the entire time. Good choice.
The songs were amazing...he pulled out some of the older tunes like "Poppy" and created intense, emotional, psychedelic jams. It seemed at times like Allman Brothers or Greatful Dead...very jam-band, psychedelic rather than hard rock fare. He pulled off a killer medley which included instrumental excerpts from Santa's She's Not There, Doors' riffs and the blues staple Crossroads. He even threw is a little Cat Scratch riff for the old war monger. At one point the the bass and other guitarist left the stage and Frank just riffed with the drummer for about 15 minutes. Holy sh...
Some of the songs he played in semi-sorta order:
The Answer
Land of 1000 Nights
A slow blues number that totally ripped (don't recall the name)
Dragonfly
Poppy
He's Calling
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Talkin' 'Bout a Feelin'
Red House
A New Rock and Roll
Electric Reflections of War
World Anthem
I know I've forgotten a couple... He/they played about two hours--usually not even stopping between songs.
It was amazing. We are still just blown away by the tight performance, the nice arrangements, song choices and the sheer talent. Frank is better than he's ever been, IMO. Just WOW! I could not help but think of my old friends and how much Frank's music formed us as fledgling adults. Even got a tear in my eye during the great solo rendition of World Anthem.
This was a night I'll never forget, some 30 years after first seeing Frank live and probably 35 years after first hearing his music. My wife is is from a different culture and did not grow up a rocker like I did. She was probably more taken by the performance that even I was. She said she felt downright guilty that the tix were only $20 each, and that next time she'd buy six just for her admission.
Catch him at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix on 10/4 if ya can. I wish like hell I could make the drive back to my old haunts there. I'm trusting a couple bros to represent my stoke there.
Cheers to all Frank fans, to all involved in getting Frank and the band on the road, and to the band and for their hard work which made such a splendid time for all in attendance. Special thanks to you, Frank, for not forgetting us.
ROCK ON!