|
Kingston Trio live at Kennedy Center
|
Visit our online store for
CDs, LPs rare 45s
collectibles, t-shirts & more
|
From the San Francisco Examiner
& Chronicle January 2nd, 2000 1.Grateful Dead
|
|
VIVA LAS VEGAS Bob Shane has proven that not only do cats have nine lives but so does the Kingston Trio. Since the late 1950's, the Kingston Trio has survived the Beatles, group reorganizations and, yes, even death. Last night the Kingston Trio opened for the first time in over 5 years in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the posh Showroom of the Suncoast Hotel. With their shows SOLD OUT for all three nights and not a room left in the hotel, the fans got what they came for: PURE ENTERTAINMENT. If Kingston Trio founder Dave Guard or former member Roger Gamble (both deceased) had been in the audience, they would have been both proud and impressed. Bob Haworth, a previous member (1985 -88), rejoined the Trio over a year ago and has really blossomed into a full music partner with long term members Bob Shane and George Grove. It's interesting to see that after 45 years of performing, Bob Shane and his Kingston Trio are still wowing the crowds just as he and the original members did when they performed in the early years at San Francisco's Hungry I. As usual, the show opened with Woody Guthrie's HARD AIN'T IT HARD. Grove's driving banjo and the addition of Haworth's energy really let the audience know they were in for some good music and laid to rest any fears that the Kingston Trio may not have "it" anymore. Throughout the evening the group played Trio standards such as THREE JOLLY COACHMEN, MTA, WORRIED MAN, and of course TOM DOOLEY. There were also some new additions of old songs such as the TIJUANA JAIL and DESERT PETE. After a string broke on the opening note of a Grove solo, George recovered his composure and used Bob Shane's guitar to sing Guard's haunting but beautiful SAN MIGUEL. George and Bobby Haworth sang TOMORROW, which is a difficult and catchy little ditty about a journey to a town somewhere in Ohio. Haworth explained to the audience that the word's to the song were so difficult that the original group never performed it live but only sang it once when they recorded it and read the words off of a large sheet of butcher paper placed on a wall. Haworth wowed the crowd when he played HOME ON THE RANGE on a saw his great grandfather gave him many years ago. The story goes that his great- grandfather, a home builder, told a young Bobby Haworth to "make good use of it". And what would an evening be without jokes from Bob Shane? There were plenty of laughs to go around but nobody was laughing when Bob sang SCOTCH AND SODA which is the most requested Trio song of all time. George informed the audience that even the great Frank Sinatra was reluctant to sing Scotch and Soda because, as Sinatra said, "nobody does it like Bob Shane". There is also a fourth member of the Kingston Trio. Ben Shubert, bass player, is the best man in black since Johnny Cash. An incredibly talented and versatile musician (Ben also plays banjo, guitar, and fiddle), he also gave a stellar performance. Ben, always quiet and a gentleman, performed beautiful bass backups during solos SAN MIGUEL and HER HEAD TUCKED BENEATH HER HEAD. The banjo lovers got what they came for too. Grove's banjo work in Gordon Lightfoot's EARLY MORNING RAIN or DESERT PETE is a clear example of what practice, practice, practice can do and why wanna be banjo players are overwhelmed. The Trio closed with WORRIED MAN but came back on stage for a double encore of WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE and a flawless version of GOING HOME. Congratulations to Bob Shane and the Kingston Trio. You did a great job guys! |
