Frank Marino 35th Anniversary
Concert
The Granada Theater 10-26-06
I first saw Frank play at the
Texxas Jam in 1978 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. He wasn't the headliner
that night but as things turned out he band was the last one to play. He
blew everyone away at the Jam, I was very glad he was the last to play
as anyone after him would have pailed in comparison.
I've been a fan ever since.
I finally got to meet him this year at the Granada and talk to him a bit. He's definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met. Not only did he play for 3 hours and 20 minutes STRAIGHT THROUGH without a break, but he came out and spent another hour and a half with the fans.
The concert was fantastic to
say the least. Starting out with a 30 minute + version of Voodoo Chile,
I knew the evening was going to be nothing short of amazing. He went from
that song to Dragonfly and then The Answer, two of my all time faves. As
you can see by the setlist, it was not written
in the order of what they played.
Somewhere in the set he played the best version of Crossroads I have ever heard and also broke into Amazing Grace later in the show. His guitar work was stunning as usual, but when you add in the number of hours he played, it becomes much more than that. Words simply fail. You just HAVE to see him to know what I mean. Few people posess the talent he has and even fewer the genuine care for his fans. Also he played the most interesting version of She's Not There that I have ever heard.
The band was also excellent.
Dave Goode pounded the drums just about as loud and driving as John Bonham
used to. Avi Ludmer played rythym guitar and the electric violin, the latter
of which was incredible sounding....if you closed your eyes, you'd have
sworn it was a guitar solo and a fine one at that. Remi Jean-Blanc rocked
the bassline hard and loud. There was another dimension to the show, the
liquid light show! You'll the pics below and on the next few pages, but
they don't do the show justice. The man had three projectors going, sometimes
all at once and was using clear plates
with what looked like oils and
water mixed in colors....very cool!
Suffice to say that Mahogany
Rush remains one of my all time favorite bands and I'd like to thank you
Frank for bringing us such an incredible show. I'd also like to thank you
for being so nice to your fans, it's a rarity these days. I am very glad
I could see it and hope everyone who is a fan gets to see you very soon.
I met a few really cool people at the show, I may just have to have a party
next time you come through.
You like BBQ Frank?
OK, so on to the pics. Forgive my blurriness as I am not a digital wizard by any stretch. I promise the next ones will be much better with the 'old tech' SLR I will be getting soon. I am presenting the ones that turned out at all, there were many that didn't make the cut due to extreme blurs. Some of the less blurry ones really look cool...almost as if I had planned them as multiple exposures....be assured that I didn't plan anything. They are in the order that I took them. Enjoy...
