.38 SPECIAL @ ARTPARK
JULY 12, 2011
THE DAVE CONSTANTINO BAND GOT THE NIGHT STARTED ON THE RIGHT FOOT. CONSTANTINO'S BLUES GUITAR RIFFING AND HIS LOW DOWN VOCALS PUT THE CROWD IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND FOR WHAT THE FEATURED ARTIST .38 SPECIAL WOULD HAVE IN THEIR GRAB BAG OF SONGS. DAVE HAS LONG STANDING AND LEGENDARY STATUS IN WESTERN NEW YORK THAT GOES BACK AS FAR AS THE DAYS OF TALAS WITH PAUL VARGA (DRUMMER) AND BILLY SHEEHAN (BASS). THE SOUNDS OF THEIR EARLY DAYS CAN STILL BE FOUND IN THE STYLE AND PICK ACTION THAT DAVE USES TODAY. HE POURS OUT HIS HEART AND SOUL, AS MOST TRUE BLUES-INFLUENCED GUITAR PLAYERS DO, INTO EACH NOTE HE PLAYS.
THE BAND TOOK THEIR TIME BUILDING UP EACH SONG AND GIVING THE CROWD WHAT THEY SEEMED TO BE BEGGING FOR: BLUES...BLUES...BLUES. "GAVE YOU BACK" GOT THE FANS DOWN FROM THE HILL TO CATCH SOME UP-CLOSE MARVELOUS PLAYING. JIM WYNNE, PUTTING ON THE RITZ OF BASS PLAYING, WOWED THE CROWD BEFORE THE FIRST SONG FROM THEIR SET LIST AS HIS WARM UP WAS SIZZLING. NOEL REDDING CAME TO MIND QUICKLY AS WYNNE BURNED THROUGH EACH SONG WITH A TOUCH THAT IS HARD TO FIND IN ROCK ANYMORE. NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE DAVE CONSTANTINO BAND PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS WITH A STAGGERING RENDITION OF JIMI'S 1967 HIT FROM THE ALBUM ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?CALLED "MANIC DEPRESSION." WYNNE WON THE CROWD OVER INSTANTLY WITH HIS HIDDEN FUNK BASS LINES THAT PUT QUITE A TOUCH ON EACH SONG THE GROUP PLAYED.
I WAS QUICK TO RUN DOWN AND GRAB A COPY OF THE BANDS 2006 BUMP IN THE ROAD CD THAT, ACCORDING TO DAVE, WILL HELP WITH THE FINANCIAL NEEDS OF THE BAND TO RECORD A NEW RELEASE. THE CD HAS TOP-OF-THE-LINE GUITAR WORK WITH A COHESIVE FEEL DRAFTED TO TAKE THE LISTENER ON A TOUR. ELECTRICITY FLIES FROM THE GUITAR AS A TESTAMENT TO DAVE CONSTANTINO'S LONGEVITY WITH HIS BUFFALO FANS. UPON LISTENING TO THE CD, I KNEW I WOULD DO A REVIEW ON IT IMMEDIATELY AND I AM HOPING A FUTURE RELEASE IS IN THE WORKS SOON. DAVE PRESSLEY (DRUMS), JIM WYNNE (BASS) AND DAVE CONSTANTINO (VOCALS, GUITAR) HAVE A PLETHORA OF TALENT THAT WHEN THEY PLAY TOGETHER IT OVERFLOWS WITH PROGRESSIVE PROFICIENCY THAT LOCAL ARTISTS CAN ONLY LOOK UP TO.
"ROCKIN' INTO THE NIGHT", THE TITLE TRACK FROM .38 SPECIAL'S 1980 ALBUM FIRED UP THE SHOW THAT WOULD TAKE THE AUDIENCE THROUGH EVERY HIT. AS THE FOG BEGAN TO PUMP FROM THE STAGE AND THE INTRO MUSIC RANG OUT, EVERYONE BEGAN TO STAND. THE PERFECT START TO WHAT WOULD BE ANOTHER GREAT ROCK SHOW AT ARTPARK IN LEWISTON, NEW YORK.
THE SPONSORSHIP KEEPS GROWING, THE BANDS ARE THE CREME DE LA CREME OF ROCK LEGEND AND THE PATRONS COME BY THE MASSES TO EAT, DRINK AND HEAR SOME GOOD OLD FASHIONED ROCK 'N ROLL. THERE IS NO OTHER PLACE TO BE ON A TUESDAY NIGHT THAN IN THE PARK WHERE THE FUN BEGINS AT 4pm WHEN SECURITY LETS YOU IN AND ENDS WITH THE LAST NOTE FROM THE BAND AS THEY TAKE THEIR FINAL BOWS.
.38 SPECIAL DID NOT LET THE CROWD DOWN, CHOOSING TO BURN THROUGH THE HITS WITH CLUSTERED MEDLEYS THAT INSTANTLY PUT THE CROWD ON THEIR FEET. .38 SPECIAL CAME BRANDED WITH THE SOUTHERN FLARE THAT PUT THEM AT LEGENDARY STATUS. SOME OF THE HITS INCLUDED "WILD-EYED SOUTHERN BOY", "CAUGHT UP IN YOU", "BACK TO PARADISE", "LIKE NO OTHER NIGHT" AND "FANTASY GIRL".
BOBBY CAPPS (VOCALS, KEYBOARD) PUT A SCHOOLING ON THE FANS WITH HIS INCREDIBLE VOICE FOR THE SONG "SECOND CHANCE." THE SONG WAS A STRUGGLE FOR THE BAND IN THE EARLIER DAYS AS THEY REALLY DID NOT WANT TO RECORD IT. THE SONG BECAME THEIR BIGGEST HIT AND STAYED THE LONGEST ON THE CHARTS BUT THE WILDEST THING IS THE SONG IS NOT ONE TO ROLL OFF THE TONGUE WHEN TALKING ABOUT .38 SPECIAL. CAPPS’S VOICE WAS SMOOTH AND ALLURING WITH "SECOND CHANCE" BEING ONE OF THE FEW SONGS PLAYED FROM START TO FINISH. HIS INCREDIBLE SOUNDING VOICE IS PROBABLY THE MAIN REASON FOR THE COMPLETE SONG PERFORMANCE.
THE BAND TOOK A MOMENT TO CATCH THEIR BREATH WHEN DON BARNES (VOCALS,GUITAR) INTRODUCED TWO FANS, LISA AND ALAN, TO COME UP ON STAGE. TO LISA'S SURPRISE, ALAN GOT DOWN ON ONE KNEE AND PROPOSED WHICH WAS QUICKLY ACCEPTED. THE FANS WENT CRAZY AS THE BAND RECOUPED AND PREPARED TO PUT ON A SECOND HALF NO ONE SHOULD MISS.
"REBEL REBEL" GAVE DONNIE VAN ZANT (VOCALS, GUITAR) A MOMENT TO REFLECT WITH THE CROWD ALL THAT HIS BROTHER RONNIE VAN ZANT MEANT TO THE WORLD OF SOUTHERN ROCK AND ALL MUSIC SINCE THE RELEASE OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD'S FIRST ALBUM, (PRONOUNCED LEH-NERD SKIN-NERD), BACK IN 1973. LYNYRD SKYNYRD WILL BE ROLLING INTO TOWN IN TWO WEEKS AND THE ONLY THING THAT WOULD MAKE THIS TWO-PART EVENT BETTER IS IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BACK TO BACK TUESDAYS MAKING IT FEEL AS IF .38 SPECIAL WAS OPENING UP FOR LYNYRD SKYNYRD FOR A SOUTHERN ROCK FEST.
THE BAND CAME BACK ON STAGE FOR THEIR ENCORE, WHICH INCLUDED "HOLD ON LOOSELY" BUT THEY WERE NOT LETTING THE CROWD OFF THAT EASY, AS THEY JUMPED ON THE FEEL OF THE NIGHT CONTINUING WITH "LIVING IN THE USA." SOME PEOPLE HAD STARTED TO LEAVE THEN, REALIZING THAT THIS BAND WAS GOING TO KEEP PLAYING, EITHER STOPPED WHERE THEY WERE OR STOOD IN PLACE TO HEAR MORE. AFTER BRIEFLY CONSULTING WITH EACH OTHER, THE BAND BURST INTO THE CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL HIT WRITTEN BY JOHN FOGERTY CALLED "TRAVELIN' BAND." THE GROUP DID NOT SEEM TO WANT TO LEAVE THE STAGE. AS THE SONG CAME TO A CONCLUSION, THE MEMBERS TOOK ONE GLANCE AT EACH OTHER AND BEGAN A SECOND ROUND OF "TRAVELIN' BAND" PUTTING THE CROWD ON ITS HEALS.
IF THERE EVER WAS A PRE-AMBLE TO A FUTURE SHOW IN ROCK IT HAPPENED TONIGHT AT ARTPARK. PREPARING THE FANS FOR WHAT MAY BE THE LARGEST TURNOUT EVER IN ARTPARK AND WILL CLEARLY BEAT THE ATTENDANCE RECORD HOLDER FOR A FREE CONCERT WITH OVER 35,000 WHEN PAT BENATAR PERFORMED AT THURSDAY @ THE SQUARE ON AUGUST 9, 2001.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD WILL GARNER THE PEOPLE AN EXTRAORDINARY ASSEMBLAGE ON JULY 26, 2011 WHEN THEY HIT THE STAGE ON THE GROUNDS OF ARTPARK AND MAY NOT HAVE TIME TO GET TO EVERY FAN FAVORITE, BUT THERE IS NO MISTAKING THAT WHEN "FREEBIRD" BEGINS THERE WILL NOT BE ONE PERSON SITTING.
SOUTHERN ROCK AND .38 SPECIAL PUT THE CROWD IN AN OLD FASHIONED MOOD OF THE DAYS WHEN LIFE PASSED AT A SLOWER PACE WITH AN EASE THAT IS HARD TO FIND ANYMORE. THANK YOU'S TO THE BAND FOR PUTTING A LITTLE BIT OF HOME-SPUN MUSIC IN OUR SOULS.
RUSTY
7/12/11
