On Friday night December 18th I sacrificed seeing the new Star Wars on opening night to instead see Nick Lowe at Seattle’s Neptune Theater. The sacrifice was well worth it. Now white haired and bespectacled, Nick Lowe got on stage as a solo act for about the first two or three songs. Then the real fun began. Los Straight Jackets entered the stage all wearing matching dark suits with candy cane striped ties and gold and black glittery masks that they wore the entire night. The tempo picked up a notch or two also. They played some Christmas songs (including one by the Staple Singers) and some not Christmas songs.
Half way through the set Nick left the stage and Los Straight Jackets took over. They played some traditional Christmas tunes done surf guitar style including the dance song from Charlie Brown Christmas. Then they switched over to a more rock and roll style, often doing choreographed robotic moves. Los Straitjackets combined theatrics with a touch of comedy and a lot of amazing guitar work and a drummer who held the beat real steady. They were nothing short of amazing. During this minus Nick intermission they played a few notes of Moon River and the drummer left his perch to join his fellow musicians in a group hug. This brought scattered laughs from the very packed house.
Nick returned to the stage just as Los Straitjackets were finishing an instrumental version of I Love the Sound Of Breaking Glass and he sang the last three words before transitioning into Cruel To Be Kind, which many sang along to. My favorite part was when they performed I Knew the Bride When She Used To Rock and Roll. There was barely a still body to be found. Nick was nothing less than charming the entire night.
For the encore, Los Straitjackets came out and played an instrumental version of the old Hollies’ song Bus Stop before Nick returned to sing When I Write the Book followed by Peace, Love and Understanding, then he lit into another almost gospel like, Christmas Song, Children, Go Where I Send Thee, this time with Los Straitjackets performing some backing vocals — the only words they uttered the entire show.
Then Los Straitjackets left the stage and Nick performed one final song, Elvis Costello’s Allison, one of my favorites. Then it was over. I would be very surprised if anyone left disappointed that night. As I said, it was worth giving up Star Wars for.
Opening the show was a duo from Minneapolis (Jack Torrey & Page Burkum) calling themselves Cactus Blossoms. Think of Simon & Garfunkel meet the Everly Brothers. This could have been the Everly Brothers on stage except their songs were a little more country than folk or rock. This is a young band with harmonies so tight you couldn’t squeeze a toothpick through them. Despite their being from Minnesota, their songs reminded me of the old fashioned country music that came out of the south. Their sound was so authentic that despite the chill in Seattle, I could feel the heat and humidity and could almost taste the dust of a wind swept field. This may be the last time anyone sees Cactus Blossoms in a small venue. Once word gets out about these guys they’re sure to break big.
