Peter Wolf cues Magic Dick and Duke Levine with the J. Geils Band on Thursday.
J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf defies his 69 years as a wondrous dervish on a good night — and that’s what a sold-out crowd certainly got at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on Thursday. In strong voice, the ever-skinny frontman rarely stopped moving through a 100-minute lesson in rock ‘n’ roll showmanship, shuffling, high-stepping, spinning in place, and exhorting both the crowd and his bandmates.
Mates they were, as the classic Boston band has now truly congealed since its 2012 break from namesake guitarist John Geils, who reportedly wanted less stage-rocking and more trademark residuals. Lead guitarist Duke Levine, his backup foil Kevin Barry and drummer Tom Arey shared equal spotlight with the veterans, as Wolf even urged Worcester journeyman Levine to join him more at the front of the stage for solos.
Better yet, the bonds between the singer and his original mates only seemed heightened. Wolf was out to share his great mood, not only catching Flying V-pumping bassist Danny Klein with a false fist-pump in “Detroit Breakdown” but smiling at keyboardist Seth Justman as he tried to get him to swig from his wine bottle. And harmonica ace Magic Dick got plenty of high-profile mileage, capped by his showpiece “Whammer Jammer.”
The fun and appreciation was contagious for the audience as well. “Thanks for your many, many years of loyal support,” Wolf made the point to the packed-fair-and-square crowd before an encore of the Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” And he looked touched when a young woman who won a contest through radio sponsor WZLX (celebrating its 30th anniversary) effectively mimicked his jive-taking intro to “Musta Got Lost.”
From a revved-up “Hard Drivin’ Man,” through blues nugget “Homework” and the funky breakdown of “Give It To Me,” to the confetti-blasted “(Ain’t Nothing But a) House Party,” the J. Geils Band hit all the bases in vintage form. Calling for one last song, Wolf still had the gas to toss a falsetto turn into “First I Look at the Purse.”
A stage introduction injected the sense of humor to trumpet the group as a multiple “nominee” for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame when a night like this only reminded how much the J. Geils Band deserves enshrinement.
Live Review: J. Geils Band Back in Vintage Form
By Paul Robicheau | Photo Credit: Paul Robicheau | Aug. 29, 2015
Peter Wolf cues Magic Dick and Duke Levine with the J. Geils Band on Thursday.
J. Geils Band frontman Peter Wolf defies his 69 years as a wondrous dervish on a good night — and that’s what a sold-out crowd certainly got at Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on Thursday. In strong voice, the ever-skinny frontman rarely stopped moving through a 100-minute lesson in rock ‘n’ roll showmanship, shuffling, high-stepping, spinning in place, and exhorting both the crowd and his bandmates.
Mates they were, as the classic Boston band has now truly congealed since its 2012 break from namesake guitarist John Geils, who reportedly wanted less stage-rocking and more trademark residuals. Lead guitarist Duke Levine, his backup foil Kevin Barry and drummer Tom Arey shared equal spotlight with the veterans, as Wolf even urged Worcester journeyman Levine to join him more at the front of the stage for solos.
Better yet, the bonds between the singer and his original mates only seemed heightened. Wolf was out to share his great mood, not only catching Flying V-pumping bassist Danny Klein with a false fist-pump in “Detroit Breakdown” but smiling at keyboardist Seth Justman as he tried to get him to swig from his wine bottle. And harmonica ace Magic Dick got plenty of high-profile mileage, capped by his showpiece “Whammer Jammer.”
The fun and appreciation was contagious for the audience as well. “Thanks for your many, many years of loyal support,” Wolf made the point to the packed-fair-and-square crowd before an encore of the Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go?” And he looked touched when a young woman who won a contest through radio sponsor WZLX (celebrating its 30th anniversary) effectively mimicked his jive-taking intro to “Musta Got Lost.”
From a revved-up “Hard Drivin’ Man,” through blues nugget “Homework” and the funky breakdown of “Give It To Me,” to the confetti-blasted “(Ain’t Nothing But a) House Party,” the J. Geils Band hit all the bases in vintage form. Calling for one last song, Wolf still had the gas to toss a falsetto turn into “First I Look at the Purse.”
A stage introduction injected the sense of humor to trumpet the group as a multiple “nominee” for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame when a night like this only reminded how much the J. Geils Band deserves enshrinement.
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