Add to Google

Subscribe in NewsGator Online

Mostly Entertainment

entertainment ave!
Read our stuff.

 

  Home    -    Our Blog   -    Our Podcast   -   The Concert Hall    -   The Movie Theater    -   In Your House    -   Stu & The Dude    -   The Alley    -   Mail Us!    -   The Office


Related links at Entertainment Ave!
Concert Reviews:
- April 13, 1996

Other Links:
Official Site: www.bodeans.com

The BoDeans
A Concert Review

November 8, 1996

Arie Crown Theater

Chicago, IL

A Review by Stu Gotz &
The Dude on the Right
Photos by DOTR
BoDeans 1
Stu's Review
Great Expectations...
The last time I saw the BoDeans was in April of this year at Eastern Illinois University. It was there that I realized that the BoDeans are "chick magnets." Seriously, about 70% of the audience was female and every girl at the show, both then and now, was dressed sharp and looking fine! The age range was a little wider for the BoDeans' Arie Crown Theatre performance, and that's fine with me 'cuz I ain't getting any younger. Another nice thing about Chicago's Arie Crown is that you have to walk through a cold connected parking garage. Most people opted to leave their jackets in their cars and this brought out an appealing aspect of the female concert go'er.

Will-Call is great, when it works...
What is it about me and will-call? This was the 4th show this year I was late getting in because things were screwed up at will-call. As a result, I only got to see a little of the BoDeans opening act, Holly Palmer. She's pretty much a "hippie-chick" with a sweet little voice and ass to match (The Dude on the Right pointed out her "assets" to me). Having only heard her perform two-and-a-half songs I cannot give you, the reader, a good idea of what she's like. From the little that I did hear I would have to liken her to a "slow going 70's rock/funk band." Basically, think of the Brady's.
BoDeans 2
Imagine if their band made it big and then broke up (much like the Jackson 5). This girl would be like Cindy on a solo career. I thought she was OK and the half filled auditorium was polite to her performance, so I give her ONE THUMB UP.

And the crowd goes wild!
Promptly at 9pm the BoDeans graced the stage. The boys looked a little different to me this time, well all except for the Bass player. Bob, to the best of my recollection, was wearing the same shirt he wore at their performance back in April. I hope that it was by coincidence and not because it's the only shirt he has. As for the rest of the ensemble, Sammy was sporting longer hair and Kurt had a funky bob/crop cut going on. Regardless of what I thought about their hair cuts, the girls in the audience just oozed. This was especially the case when Sammy removed his jacket to reveal that he was only wearing a blue vest with two strings hanging from it. Upon closer inspection I found those strings to be his arms.

It didn't take long for the BoDeans to get the crowd swaying to songs like "America" and "Hey Pretty Girl." "Who feels like jumping? Come on and jump with me!" was all Kurt had to say and the place started bouncing to the polka-esk song "Ocean Me," at least I think that's the name of it, but in any
BoDeans 3
case, it's the song where everybody starts jumping up and down. Ya, sure! Ya hey der! Dese guys ain't from Milwaukee, are dey? So, are the BoDeans "grass-roots-rock" or "country?" I'd have to say a little of both with a little "Latin rhythm" thrown in for good measure.

And the award for the dumb-ass of the night goes to...
It's a three way tie! Like I've said before, a BoDeans show is a great place to meet women or to score points with your steady gal. Their deep meaningful lyrics and easy to sway to music always swoons the women. This being the case, why the jackass sitting in front of me never put his arm around his girl while she tried to get him to dance a little to the profound song "Naked" I'll never know. Then there was the guy four rows in front of me. He had the best seat in the house because there was an aisle in front of him that all the ladies came down to dance in. One particularly well-built, bottle-fed blonde took his cap, seductively danced in front of him and tried to get him out of his seat. He just sat back asking for his hat. By the time "Closer" was over she had lost interest,
BoDeans 4
returned the hat, and began to dance by someone else. What a fool! Lastly, there was The Dude on the Right. After the show I had an invitation to meet up with two lovely ladies. He said he was too tired to go. What!?! If it wasn't for the comment about Holly Plamer's ass earlier I'd seriously question The Dude's sexuality. I know he was "born and raised Catholic in Ohio," and that he's an admitted "shy guy," but how he keeps his testosterone levels low I'll never know! So you tell me folks, who's the biggest ass? The guy four rows up, the guy in front of me, or my editor, The Dude on the Right.

 
BoDeans 5
And in the end...
The BoDeans, like Hootie and the Blowfish, may not be very animated on stage, but their eclectic range of music makes up for that unlike Hootie, plus the fact that next to an Aerosmith concert you wont find better looking women than those at a BoDeans show. I loved them and Chicago showed its love by supporting two sold-out shows with them. I also liked the fact that Sammy showed some sincere and candid appreciation by saying "Thank you all. We don't make it on our record sales. We make it on our live performances. Without you we'd be in our bedrooms wacking off or something." That, and I'd like to give a little credit to "Carl," the roadie, for running out on stage to hold Sammy's harmonica while he continued to play guitar during "Closer to Free." (Question: Is it just me or would that be a great song for Sesame Street's "Count to sing?") I give the BoDeans TWO BIG THUMBS UP and I'm Stu Gotz! Hasta!

 
BoDeans 6
The Dude on the Right gets his say…
Back in April, the last time Stu went to see the BoDeans, I asked him "How was the show?" He replied something like "The show was good, but you should have seen the women, they were everywhere." I was intrigued. I had heard that the BoDeans put on a good show, but I wanted to draw my own conclusions. After a cold November Friday in Chicago I now know for myself that Stu was right, the BoDeans are pretty cool.

I'll be honest, other than two or three songs I have no idea what they played. But what I did find was that for most of the night people were out of their seats, dancing to the music, and singing along - all the makings of a fun show for both the dedicated fan and the "brought along because my girlfriend likes them" fan, well, everyone seemed to have fun except those two dumb-ass' Stu talked about. Me, I had a good time too, even though I was with Stu, and yes, I was a little tired.

The BoDeans mixed it up, from the up-beat, polka-sounding, jumping up and down song to some kinda country-sounding, watching the sunset, the cows have come home song. The smart guys were set, they had the dance songs and the snuggle songs and if they were lucky they were next to a cutie. Me, I had Stu on my right and an isle on my left and I didn't have a hat. In the end, I had a good time anyway, and the crowd had a blast.

I've got to give the BoDeans TWO THUMBS UP!!! They are a fun band. I guess that's all I can say. As for Stu's comments on me being a big ass, well, I seem to remember Stu trying to be in a band or something, and now every time I stop by his place he seems to be coming out of his bedroom. Coincidence? I think not. And that comment about testosterone: all I know is that, while waiting for the ticket mix-up to clear, I thought Stu was either going to get whiplash from his head swiveling back and forth or maybe he would just explode - he kept saying something like "Oh my God! Oh my God!" I asked him if something was wrong, and he just let out a heavy sigh, shook his head, and said "Did you see …..?"

That's it for this one, I'm The Dude on the Right! L8R!!

 

Copyright © 1996-2010 EA Enterprises, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
www.entertainmentavenue.com
eavenue@entertainmentavenue.com