Rant 2,333: Celebration

Happy post-St. Patrick's Day!

I hope you had a good weekend.

I know that my family and I did.

Continuing the theme of this past Friday's Rant, my wife, my son and I went to see Tommy James at the NYCB Theater, or whatever they call the Westbury Musid Fair nowadays, on Friday, and as usual, we had a great time.

The place was about 99 percent full, which was good, and my son was probably the youngest one there, but that is fine. He likes rap music, but when we take him to concerts like this, it gives him an all-around music education, which I think his generation needs.

But whatever the case, James--as well as the Box Tops and the Grass Roots, his opening acts--were in fine form during the concert.

The southern-pop-baked Box Tops opened the show, and while former lead singer Alex Chilton left us several years ago, they soldier on as best they can. Chilton had a unique voice--he sounded like a grizzled veteran although he was only in his late teens when the band broke it big--and while the two original members of the band can't hit the notes that Chilton did, they did do a good job even coming close to that type of perfection.

I had never seen the Box Tops live before, so it was a treat hearing the live renditions of songs like "Cry Like a Baby," "Neon Rainbow" and "The Letter" that way for the first time.

The Grass Roots followed, and this is the version of the band that Rob Grill pretty much ordained as the Grass Roots just before he passed away, so while there are no hitmaking members of this conglomeration, they have been doing this now for years, so you do get the true sound of the band when you hear them do many of the act's biggest hits.

So you get good versions of "Midnight Confessions," "Let's Live For Today," and "Where Were You When I Needed You" and all the rest when you hear the Grass Roots today, and they do an excellent job doing it.

But when Tommy James comes on with his band--there have probably been 100 different Shondells over the years--you know you are getting the real deal.

James loves to perform live in front of an adoring audience, and he got that ego boost at Westbury the other night.

He said there would be little talking and a lot of hits, and he was right. Just pick you favorite James song--"Crimson and Clover," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Draggin' the Line," and a whole lot of others--and it probably came up in this set.

And he still has the chops to do this, which makes it even better. He doesn't sound much different than he did 50 years ago when these songs were hits, nor does he look that much different (except for a few more pounds).

Now that I finally read his book and have listened to his satellite radio show, I have gotten a new appreciation of James as a performer and also as a person, and he and his music are both very endearing.

And he gives you his all when he is on stage, and he looks like he is having fun.

That is al you can ask for from a performer like this at this point in time.

I love seeing shows at this hall because when the show ends, my family and I can be home in about 20 minutes, and that is what happened after this show, too.

All the better to rest up for Saturday, when my family and my sister's family took my mom out for her 88th birthday.

We went to a Hibachi place in Carle Place--again, pretty close to where we live, maybe a half hour or so on a busy Saturday afternoon--and we had a lot of fun.

One of my nephews and my daughter were there, appearances which were good to see, the food was good, and the general atmosphere was good.

My mother had a lot of fun, which was the best part, and even though he would not admit it, I think my father had fun, too, if for nothing more than he had three of his grandchildren there.

So we had a fun Saturday afternoon, and in the evening, myself, my wife and my son pretty much passed out.

And we still had Sunday to get through.

Sunday was a true day of rest, and we got through it just fine.

So yes, it was a full weekend, and now we have a full workweek to look at and get through.

I think we can do it.

Let's see what happens.