I got the Bush hall in time to see all of Jonah Tolchon's opening set and too be honest I only really needed to see a couple of songs as he was a folk singer hipster from the backwoods of Noo Joisey who was playing solo while desperately needing a band to flesh out his songs the opener about the Spirit coming down was morose and downbeat slow and plodding he followed that by playing a very familiar sounding song about hush now baby please don't cry it was ok but he didn't quite have it.
Diamond Mind that followed it was more morose moping that was followed by him absolutely murdering Hank Williams Lost Highway it was woeful off key and out of time thankfully that just left time for one more song about his Automobile that was ok but if I never see Jonah play again I'm sure I won't miss him.
After a short break it was time for Chuck Prophet once more who is on tour to promote his new album Night Surfer and to celebrate 30 years in the music business and it's now about 29 years since I first saw him play with Green On Red, now before the show I hadn't heard any of the new album so when they opened with a song whose intro really reminded me of Lou Reed's Rock & Roll Heart I thought at first Chuck had re-worked it until he started singing and damn he was actually opening the set with this Lou Reed gem wow and what a surprise to start the set with a cover version but a damn cool version it was too.
He then went into a very Bob Dylan influenced tune from the new album Countrified Inner-City Technological Man which is a bit of a mouthful of a title but a damn fine song that sounds like it could be from the early electric period Dylan but the band were sounding extremely sharp and tight almost as tight as the suit Chuck was wearing, still the band were going to make sure we knew what they were all about with a great version of Creedence Clearwater Revivals Lodi damn the licks chuck was swapping with James De Prato were magical.
Chuck went all gospel preacher on us as he introduced and sang Wish Me Luck wanting us to get involved and to wish him luck well most of the packed Bush hall did just that. Then he took a good look at us before playing a storming and emotional version of I Bow Down And Pray To Every Woman I See with big props obviously going to Stephanie Finch on the Nord keyboards.
Chuck then dedicated Ford Econoline off the new album to Detroit and everyone who ever drove one even if they are in a sprinter on this tour but damn it's one feisty road trip of a paean to every American band of a certain era's favorite tour van before they pulled out another great cover with a blast through Alex Chilton's Bangkok that although skewed in some of the guitar solos and the chorus was way tighter and more Focused than Alex ever was when I heard him play it and yes the lyrics sound just as absurd as ever.
Just To See You Smile saw them slowing it down a bit and getting all lovey dovey that sort of continued as Steph stepped up to the mike to duet on Little Girl, Little Boy from Temple Beautiful before it was party time again on Castro Halloween and having spent one wild Halloween on the Castro I know where they are coming from a very cool version with Brad Jones Bass holding it all together as Chuck and James traded licks again.
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Guilty As A Saint off of Night Surfer grabbed me quickly for a song I'd never heard before as they all traded looks to get the pauses right and damn it went down just fine. But then they took the roof off the place with a great version of Temple Beautiful that had Chuck leading us all in the call and response bits and at the end the place erupted in the loudest cheers of the night.
Who Shot John was next and for me it's my favorite song off of Temple Beautiful and this was a nice slightly loose version of it. Chuck then pulled Stephanie out front again so she could sing a very cool version of Different Drum while the band did their best to sound like the Stone Pony's.
Chuck then did something a bit different in swapping to acoustic guitar for Tell Me Anything while James played a 12 string guitar it changed things up nicely and he kept the acoustic on for most of Summer time Thing that went down an absolute storm even when they slowed it down and played about with it. White Night, Big City was as ferocious as this band gets like they were stepping it up a gear when they had been flying as it was.
The Left Hand And The Right Hand was dedicated to all the musical brothers Chuck could think of including the Kemp Brothers to the delight of the Spandau fan I was standing next too. It was played for laughs and for the sort of serious argument brothers can have when will that Kinks reunion happen. They closed the set with Willie Mays Is Up At Bat and Chuck complaining he has been watching too much cricket yeah right as if that's even possible they left to thunderous applause.
Soon enough they were back and opened the encore with Shake Some Action and a nice little story about Chuck scoring drugs from The Flaming Groovies and well yes they have the right spirit for this classic they then closed the night with a long version full of singing along of You Did (Shooby Dooby Bomp) that asks the question of who put the rama lama in the ding dong and other important questions it was a great fun end to an incredibly good Chuck Prophet set this tour is well worth catching if it gets anywhere near you.
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