Zappa Plays Zappa, Orlando, Fl December 12, 2006

    Let me start this by saying Zappa is my hero. Unfortunately, I'm only 16, and I never was able to see him live. I was sad I wouldn't be able to see his stuff live.
    Then Dweezil decided to make the Zappa plays Zappa tour!
    Wow, were Mickey (known on this site as The Wizard - he went to the concert with me)
    The show kicked off with Andy, and what a song to kick off a show with! We first get a glimpse of how far Dweezil has gotten in terms of guitar playing, and he gets close to Frank's level (but not quite).
     Napoleon Murphy Brock did an outstanding job playing the sax and handling most of the lead vocal duties (he even duplicates Frank's voice very well, in addition to nailing his own parts). He was hysterical, also. I can't believe a man that old can dance like a lunatic on stage like that!
     I'm not sure of the order, but I know they played the Don't Eat the Yellow Snow suite (except for Nanook Rubs It, which I was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't played - I think it's the spur of the piece) and I'm the Slime not too long after Andy. The power that Dweezil displayed while playing I'm the Slime was amazing, but he should really refrain from singing; his voice is high and squeaky, unlike his dad's, which is low and full. Luckily, he doesn't sing too much, but when he sings "that's right folks, don't touch that dial," the crowd just shook. He had us in the palm of hands. Dweezil really showed his chops during "Black Napkins" and "Inca Roads." I loved how they performed "Flogentine Pogen," and "Who Are the Brain Police" was impeccable. Actually, the setlist contained a lot more songs from the early Mothers' era than I expected.
     Then, a god walked on stage.
     Terry Bozzio climbed into his monstrous and elaborate drum kit, and began to play "I'm So Cute" and "Tryin' to Grow a Chin" and "Punky's Whips." He sang the lead in all those songs, too. He was a maniac in on the kit, and I love how he screamed "I'M SO f**kIN' CUTE!!!" Then he played the Black Page. What was really cool was that Dweezil said, "only one guitar player can play the melody in the 'Black Page': Steve Vai."
    And Steve walked on stage in his virtuostic glory, and delved into the guitar part. Needless to say, it was mindblowing.
    Soon after the "Black Page," Bozzio left, and the band delved into a spirted version of "Zomby Woof." That was one of the highlights of the shows; Vai and Dweezil dueled each other with the craziest solos I've ever heard. Dweezil actually held his own against Vai's onslaught. By the way, Vai didn't 'w**k' at all - he actually seemed to channel Zappa's gift for long, weaving, melodic yet virtuostic solos. Then, they played what I thought was the highlight of the night: "Peaches en Regalia." The performance was tight, and it was almost a tear-jerking moment. However, I decided to bounce all around instead. After "Peaches," the band (still with Vai) charged into an awesome version of Montana, and Vai and Dweezil once again dueled. Vai left soon after that, and the set was closed with Sofa.
    However, the band came back on for an encore, and the ZPZ drummer dueled with Bozzio in an amazing drum battle. There were tons of solos, and I'm not sure what they played in the encore, but it was amazing.
     Overall, the musicanship was amazing and very tight. The keyboard player was amazing, the saxophonist/vocalist was amazing (and she really captured the essence of the Weasels Ripped My Flesh era saxes). I loved the touch of a percussionist, too. The bass player kicked ass. (and the secondary guitar play was great too - he had a few good solos).
     Dweezil says he wants to make this an annual thing; I hope he does. I will attend every year. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I wish I could go every night. Thank you Dweezil (and thank you Dad* for making this happen), and may you continue to keep your father's legacy alive.
    


    *By the way, this was my X-Mas present, and it was awesome. To cap it off, my dad gave me a Does Humor Belong in Music DVD, and we watched the Zappa DVD on the ride home... in a limo. Awesome X-mas, if I don't say so myself!

Edit:

I'm sorry, this should be December 11, 2006

I wish I was there, considering that Im a Zappa-head too. Must have been awesome

I am going to the Dallas show on the 16th

I am 48 and was fortunate to see Frank Zappa perform twice. Both shows were fantastic, so I am hoping this show will be the same.

 

Tour Dates are posted at  http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/

Edited by wandererfromtx - December 14 2006 at 11:45