G.P. and The Rumour Rock Rhody

I saw Graham Parker play live last night for the third time in the last 7 months. My wife and I caught him for a solo set on our wedding anniversary back in September. Then a friend and I saw his much-anticpated reunion with his original backing band The Rumour in December. Last night, it was another gig with The Rumour, this time at The Met in Pawtucket, R.I., with a few friends and my teen-age daughter. 

With a rare all-ages show, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to introduce her to G.P.’s impassioned live performance, song-writing acumen and witty banter. Of course, judging by the crowd, the “all ages” on the ticket meant you were welcome no matter how ancient you are! At nearly 18, my daughter was the youngest one there – by a lot. Regardless, she dug it, too.

In the December gig, it was obvious that the reunification with The Rumour inspired Graham not only to rock out, but to emote in ways that I’ve seldom seen him do in the dozen or so concerts I’ve seen over the last 25 years. (And as great a backing band as The Figgs have been for him on occasion over the years, it seems there’s just no substitute for his original compadres.) That was even more obvious last night at The Met. Graham was dancing and gesticulating like I’ve never seen him. And though there was plenty of gray hair on stage, the singer’s energy did justice to the “angry young man” legacy. He did, however, smile a lot more than back in the day.


This video hardly does justice (sound or vibe wise) to the superb, energetic show Graham Parker and The Rumour delivered last night at The Met.


As in December, guitarists Brinsley Schwarz and Martin Belmont were both in fine form, trading the many memorable vintage-toned melodies that are hallmarks of some of Parker’s best songs. While the six-stringers tend to get the most attention, the rhythm section of Andrew Bodnar and Steve Goulding played with deft touch and keyboardist Bob Andrews rocked the Hammond B-2 and impressed with essential – and very under-appreciated, I think – harmony vocals.  

The set list followed a similar tack as the late fall tour, with a few variations and perhaps a little less emphasis on the new album (the impressive Three Chords Good) and a little more on G.P.’s ample catalog of hits.

Things kicked into gear just a few songs in with the “controversial” (G.P.’s description) “Coat Hangers,” leaving little doubt about singer’s politics. Many highlights followed, including a particularly soulful “Black Honey,” a vibrant, edgy and elongated “Protection” and “Don’t Ask Me Questions,” which G.P. aptly introduced by saying, “Nobody plays this shit like The Rumour!” He’s right.

One of the most telling memorable moments came during the last song of the main set, “Local Girls.” I looked over the crowd to my left and saw Mike Gent – who opened the show and has backed G.P. in various guises for the last decade or so – dancing and singing along with abandon. Just another punter in the crowd inspired by G.P.’s brand of smart pub rock pop. Of course, a few minutes later Graham pulled him up on stage to join in on vocals for the rousing finale of “Soul Shoes,” which was propelled to the finish by Bob Andrews’ pounding Hammond.


Mike Gent of The Figgs joins G.P. for some impassioned vocals. 

On this second tour since reuniting and recording the critically acclaimed Three Chords Good last year, G.P. and the boys seem to be riding high on the exposure of the band’s appearance in Judd Apatow’s 2012 film This Is 40 (with G.P. even plugging the freshly released blu-ray edition of the movie, which features a documentary on the band). The fact that they all seem to be genuinely enjoying this second run 30 years on begs the question as to whether they might be game to do another album together – sooner rather than later.

My brief chat with Brinsley after the show as he cleared his gear off the stage and the crowd thinned out gave reason for hope. To my encouraging “you guys should do another album!” comment, he replied, “Yeah, we were just talking about that.”

Get to it boys!


SET LIST
G.P. & The Rumour
The Met, Pawtucket, R.I.  4/12/13
•  White Honey
•  Fool’s Gold
•  Howlin’ Wind
•  Coat Hangers
•  Three Chords Good
•  Long Emotional Ride
•  Lady Doctor
•  Get Started, Start a Fire
•  Black Honey
•  Snake Oil Capital of the World
•  Soul on Ice
•  A Lie Gets Halfway Around the World
•  Watch the Moon Come Down•  Discovering Japan
•  Don’t Get Excited
•  Protection
•  Stupefaction
•  Local Girls
Encores:
•  Passion Is No Ordinary Word
•  Don’t Ask Me Questions
•  Soul Shoes