The Funkiest Band In The Land

Went to see the “J. Geils band” in downtown Detroit last night. I gotta tell ya, I was pretty impressed. Here’s a band that got together some 40 years ago as a funk/blues type band and only became nationwide headliners near the end of their careers. They were, however, always incredibly popular in the Detroit area while I was growing up there. They recorded three live albums, all in Detroit and consistently sold out any concert they played there. This kind of thing happened all the time in Detroit for bands from the area but these guys are from Boston. They just had that little something that the kids in the area could identify with. What was that? Music to dance to, music to sing along to and music that always, in it’s roots, paid homage to the Motown sound.

I went to the show with a number of friends I hadn’t seen in years and it turned out to be much more than a typical reunion kind of night. One of the friends, coming in from L.A. rented a limo for the show and another guy got ahold of someone at the MGM casino that we all grew up with and he arranged to get us dinner at the place comped. There were six of us in the limo and there was, of course, plenty of alcohol for those that wanted it. So we had a nice ride down with lots of laughs and remembered stories. It was truly a good time.

We got to the theater and our seats were right at the bar, which again, was great for those that wanted it. I plopped myself right at the front of the table and was along the safety guard that stops folks from falling down the step that was the main floor. We were right behind the mixers for the show and I noticed that one guy had the set list taped on the soundboard so I was able to see what songs were going to be played and in what order. It was pretty cool.
The concert was, to say the least, special. Not only for us, the fans, but for the band as well. They’ve technically not been together for a number of years and have come together for just a few shows. They had one in Boston a couple months ago, they’re having two here in Detroit and one more in Boston. Peter Wolf, the lead singer said they weren’t doing a tour, just a thank you to, as he put it, our two hometowns. Needless to say, it gave the crowd the warm and fuzzies.

They played all the songs we expected them to play and Wolf did his normal running and jumping all over the place along with his consistent rap that predates today’s hip hop stars by about 40 years. It was a great time. The thing I found most incredible about the whole thing is that this guy is 62 years old. Yeah, he didn’t do all the things he used to do on stage but, seeing him dance, no way is he that old. My biggest problem throughout the night was my inability to clap my hands. I’ve torn some stuff up in my wrist and it hurts like crazy when I try. I just stood there pounding the metal bar in front of me with my good hand and my thumb is a bit swollen from that. Well worth it though.

I saw a number of folks there that I knew and a few I only knew from Facebook, seeing them was still like seeing old friends, like I have known them all along. It’s a good feeling and one I truly enjoy.

So after the concert the gang wanted to go back to MGM but I had a long drive in front of me so I grabbed one of the folks I saw there and asked him to drive me to my car. I ended up getting home at a little after two in the morning but that’s ok. To the friends I went with, if you’re reading this, thanks and how cool was last night? I missed you guys, great to see ya. The same goes for the band. Great to see ya.