Magic Band: Farewell Tour

It started here:

The first concert the Magic Band played  at Shepherds Bush Empire on Monday 7th April 2003.
Organised and led by John 'Drumbo ' French (drums, vocals harmonica); the band consisted of Gary Lucas ( guitar); Denny Whalley ( guitar); Mark  ' Rockette Morton ' Boston ( bass)  and Richard Williams ( drums).


All had played with Captain Beefheart ( aka Don Van Vliet ) at various times and their mission was to recreate songs from the Beefheart canon.

Fast forward fourteen years and we arrive here:

The Magic Band Farewell Tour to which I attended with friend K.
last Monday 20th November 2017 at The Fleece, Bristol.

Here's a thought. How many bands with great musicians after an interval of fourteen years still charge the same for their tickets ? Not many I venture.
Arriving early I quickly grabbed the latest tour T shirt; still selling for a modest fifteen pounds.

Pulling rabbits out of a hat indeed.

The 'Fleece' quickly filled up. eventually achieving sell-out status.

This was the first time in my three visits to the venue to see the band that this had happened, which was rather ironic, because at this show the only original member from 2003 was John ' Drumbo ' French himself.

"Now Drumbo is the only one left. It might be a strain carrying the legacy alone but you'd never guess it from this show. Now backed by younger bandmates Eric Klerks (guitar), Max Kutner (guitar), Jonathan Sindelman (keyboards) and Andrew Niven (drums), the 69-year-old French was charismatic and magisterial for a thrilling two-and-a-half-hour show. This is music at once tremendously clever and intensely physical, with plenty of tricky twists and turns to trip up the unwary. But this lot rose to the challenge like champions."

Written by Sean Hewitt; reviewing the band's show at ' The Rescue Rooms '

Nottingham on 12th November 2017 AD.

I absolutely concur with the above appraisal of the show.

This was the first time I had seen the band with a keyboard player and Mr. Sindelman made a difference to the colourisation of the band's playing, particularly at times when the other members allowed the keyboards to take centre stage.

Eric Klerk, whom I had seen before, showed some amazing technical wizardry on his hand -built guitar, really getting to grips with the intricate musical structures of the Beefheart oeuvre.

But, it must be said, all members enjoyed and embraced the music.

Here is a video of the band taken at "The Cluny " Newcastle  on the 7th November :
Magic Band 2017

Eric, Jonathan and Drumbo.

Jonathan and Drumbo.

As we left " The Fleece" I felt sated and satisfied that,  if this really is their farewell tour they had ended for me on the very highest of high notes.

For more info. and a general discussion of the Magic Band scroll onto my blog entitled.  " Pen Friends: French Leave."  (17/08/ '17.

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Seen on a very bright, sunny day in Cheltenham's Promenade, two spokes of a huge crane, like a 'wish-bone ' in the sky.

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Long scarves, coats, hats and gloves, the order of the week ahead. Stay warm everybody,

WiFi for now,

Ck.