Installment: Tuesday, April 15, 2008
It's Friday, April 11. The band is awaiting introduction under the heat of stage lights beaming through thick cigarette smoke in a large, multi-tiered nachtclub called The Level. An audience of approximately 600 has packed the joint to see us, screaming out titles of songs they want us to play - including album cuts and B-sides, circa 1972. "Ticonderoga Moon!" "Please Be There!" And yes... one person even yelled, "Mall Cop!" The band? Orleans, of course. The place? Arnhem, Netherlands. Over 3600 miles from its birthplace, Orleans now finds itself deep in a warm embrace from an adoring, well-informed crowd of smiling faces and waving arms. It is, in a word, overwhelming.
And the band is more than ready to deliver. Not two weeks prior, we had performed twelve shows in four days at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. It was hard work, but it took place in a high-quality audio environment - high enough to really brush off the dust from our long winter downtime and get sharp. By Bay Shore, the start of this most recent "mini-tour", we were already shooting with highly polished pistols.
So, Larry begins the show in Arnhem at around 11:45 pm with the intro to "Let There Be Music" and the sound from his guitar amp is immediately crushed by thunderous, deafening cheers - cheers which really never stop all night long. "Dance With Me"... same thing. "Reach"... forget about it! In unison, the crowd is singing not just melodies, but background parts as well, in perfect pitch and sync! It's like hearing those massive sports chants at European soccer matches - only this time actually knowing the chants!
And the cameras flash on. Hundreds of cameras.
Feeling like Beatles, we sign a blur of CD's and DVD's whizzing across the merchandise table seemingly at the speed of sound after the show. People are actually climbing across our shoulders to pose for photos being taken by friends and spouses. Where does this incredible intensity come from? How have we become so jaded here in the States? I mean, we play to great audiences nearly everywhere we go. But this is completely INSANE!
Such was our amazing trip to Holland. The second night at The Level was more of the same - as was our wrap-up show at Huiz Maas in Groningen on Sunday. Everywhere we went, in fact, we found open, kind and generous people willing to laugh at the drop of a hat. There was no language barrier. As our British drummer Charlie Morgan said, "The Dutch have been watching BBC for years on the telly... with no subtitles."
Check it all out for yourself. Live performance footage has already been posted on You Tube (some of it looks a lot like cell phones). Click here.
Coming up: The Big Strum returns! Tix are currently on sale at Gloucester Music for our Saturday, May 10 Lobster Trap Pub show in Essex, MA. For those not in the know, the band features the great David Brown (of Billy Joel Band fame), Cliff Goodwin (Joe Cocker), Wolf Ginandes (James Brown) and David Bowie's drummer of many years, Mike Levesque. Not to be missed! Two weeks later, I'll be returning to Essex's One World Coffee House with Allen Estes & Charlie Farren. Then it's off to Nashville for some Country Christmas recording.
There have been quiet whispers about possible shows in Hamburg around Oktoberfest time. But it's way too sketchy to say much right now. We'll just have to see how it goes.
As always, I look forward to seeing you at a show soon. Happy Spring! ~ Fly
This artist uses Elixir Strings
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CONTACT / EMAIL
Other links:
Now on You Tube! Mall Cop!
Orleans Online
Comedy
WSYR TV Ch. 9 Interview:
NY State Fair, August 30, 2007
National Anthem Performance
Fenway Park - July 28, 2006
Boston, MA
Pics from Foxwoods '06
The Big Strum
FOREVER MUSIC PRODUCTIONS
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All Wednesdays, unless
otherwise noted, at:
The Rhumb Line
40 Railroad Avenue
Gloucester, MA
978-283-9732
Friday, April 4
The Boulton Center for the Performing Arts
37 West Main St.
Bayshore, NY
631-969-1101
Saturday, April 5
Carl Pfeifer Performing Arts Stage
at the Wyckoff Family Y
691 Wyckoff Avenue
Wyckoff, NJ
201-891-2081
Tickets & More Info
Sunday, April 6
Bearsville Theater
291 Tinker Street
Woodstock, NY
845-679-4406
Orleans...
w/special guests Robbie Dupree
& Joe Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult)
Benefit: Queen's Galley Soup Kitchen
Friday/Saturday, April 11/12
Club The Level
Luthersestraat 9
6811 GR
Arnhem, Netherlands
(w/Barnaby Bye opening)
Sunday, April 13
Huize Maas
Vismarkt 52
9711 KV
Groningen, Netherlands
(w/Barnaby Bye opening)
Saturday, May 10
The Big Strum
The Lobster Trap Pub
125 Main Street
Essex, MA 01929
Doors open: 7:30pm
Saturday, May 24
One World Coffee House
57 Main Street
Essex, MA 01929
Songwriters-in-the-Round
w/Fly Amero, Allen Estes & Charlie Farren
Saturday, June 21
Jacksonville, FL
(w/Orleans)
(Details TBA)
Sunday, June 22
Ithaca, NY
(w/Orleans)
(This date is currently tentative)
Friday, July 4
Orleans & Friends
w/Felix Cavaliere (Rascals), Peter
Rivera (Rare Earth), Jimi Jamison (Survivor) & Dave Jenkins
(Pablo Cruise)
Sanford, FL
(Details TBA)
Saturday, September 6
Brookhaven Amphitheater
Arts & Cultural Center at Bald Hill
South Bicycle Path Drive
Farmington, NY (Long Island)
(w/Orleans)
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