I arrived just in time to see the supporting act, My Cousin Harvey. My Cousin Harvey is a straight up rockabilly trio. Although they started with slower songs, the tempo really picked up to some good danceable tunes towards the middle of the set.
The stand-up bass player showed enough charisma to make up for the lack of such in the other two members (guitar/vocalist and a drummer). This band clearly enjoyed being on stage and combined with their musical prowess, made My Cousin Harvey a crowd pleaser and an apt opener for The Rockabilly Riot show.
After twenty to thirty minutes Brian Setzer and former Stray Cat bandmate Slim Jim Phantom came on stage. Setzer still sports the same blond pompadour and baby face making him look slightly like a blond Paul McCartney.
The sold-out show had us all packed in like proverbial sardines as Setzer with Slim Jim on stand-up bass belted out rockabilly tune after rockabilly tune. At first the band was a trio — just Setzer on Gretsch and vocals with Slim Jim on stand-up bass and a drummer. About five songs into the set a guy playing acoustic/electric guitar joins them and he switches to piano on some songs. I should say he switched to REAL piano. There was no synthesizer, or any other substitute instrument, to make it sound like piano here and he played his real piano with fingers moving at lightning speed.
One of the highlights was a cover of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. Brian could even hit the low notes, which he claimed he could not do until just a few years ago. When he did, it brought assorted cheers from the audience.
Another highlight was when the band performed a string of Stray Cats’ songs which included Rumble In Brighton Tonight, Stray Cat Strut and Sexy and 17. This was followed up by a cover of My Girl Is Red Hot which was accompanied by the lightning speed fingers piano player.
For all the energy this band put out, it was a rather sedate audience. No one danced although they were clearly enjoying the show judging by the raucous cheers each song brought.
About half way through the show, Slim Jim took over on drums (his original instrument while in The Stray Cats) while some young and very cute guy came out to take over on stand-up bass. This new bass player exhibited all the energy the Stray Cats’ original bass player, Lee Rocker, demonstrated in the early eighties. He stood on the bass, danced a pas de deux with it and stood on it some more. At one point Brian grabbed a third bass, Slim Jim returned to the bass and there were dueling basses in triplicate. When Brian returned to his guitar playing prowess, he held his guitar over his head and continued playing without missing a lick.
Anyone would have considered this satisfactory, but after much pleading from the audience, the band returned for two encores which included the song Seven Nights of Rock, Seven Nights of Roll.
This was an energetic, rocking show and it was difficult to tell who had more fun — the band or the audience. I can fully guarantee a good time was had by all.
