Since I became a fan of GRAHAM PARKER in the mid ‘90s, I’ve seen him over twenty times. Up until now, however, I had never seen him in this kind of configuration. In recent years, mainly due to financial considerations, he’s mainly toured solo though he occasionally tours with a band as well. The last time he did this (two years ago), however, it was with his venerable backing band THE FIGGS, who have backed him on several different occasions since the pair first teamed up back in 1996. Though THE LATEST CLOWNS are comprised of two members of The Figgs, the similarities pretty much end there. First off, Figgs vocalist and guitarist MIKE GENT is the drummer and while Figgs guitarist BRETT ROSENBERG accompanies Parker on guitar, the bassist slot is taken up by ED VALUASKAS. There is also one more important addition to the lineup in the form of a keyboard player named SCOTT JANOVITZ. This is important because it not only gives Parker and his band the ability to play songs they wouldn’t have otherwise, but also because it lets them play songs in similar arrangements to the ones on his studio albums.
For instance, songs from the keyboard-heavy 1983 album The Real Macaw and the 1985 follow-up Steady Nerves were showcased along with several songs from the 1991 album Struck By Lightning. As a long-time fan, it was great to hear obscure gems like “Break Them Down” and “They Murdered the Clown” played with passion, conviction and faithfulness to the arrangements on the recorded versions. Other highlights were “Durban Poison”, a song written in the mid ‘80s that eventually showed up on his 1988 live album Live Alone in America, and several songs from his most well-known album Squeezing Out Sparks. In particular, the rarely played “Waiting for the UFOs” and “Nobody Hurts You” really kicked while the perennial show-closer “You Can’t Be Too Strong” was aided by able bass and keyboard playing that again steered the song in the direction of its recorded version. The new songs from this year’s excellent Don’t Tell Columbus also came off really well. The brilliant “Other Side of the Reservoir” dragged a bit on this night, but “I Discovered America” and “Hard Side of the Rain” matched the versions on the record while the quiet album closer “All Being Well” came off well live, too.
Another notable thing about this show was how much lead guitar Parker was playing. Sure Rosenberg played a great solo on a version of “Wake Up (Next to You)” that put the otherwise fine (though slick) recorded version to shame, but Parker fired off a solo during “Break Them Down” that was every bit its equal. He’s played lead guitar on most of his albums over the past fifteen years or so and it definitely showed here. Unfortunately, though, despite all these positive things, the morons sitting behind us almost completely ruined the show for us. They shouted inanities with a drunken glee that made it hellish for anything within earshot. After they expressed disappointment that “Wake Up (Next to You)” was being played, even denouncing it with a homophobic statement, they quickly changed their tone in the middle of the song with one of them shouting “we’re sorry Graham; it’s really good”. I think that tells the story right there in that it was hard to dislike a show that converted even the six-pack morons into Parker’s corner.
