a) I was very struck by what a noble personal sacrifice Dweezil was making in putting himself on the line as the carrier of the flame. In no way should he feel obliged to do so, and in no way ought we to expect him to reproduce the FZ experience. He looked less than comfortable with his onstage “presence”, and was visibly rattled when the equipment broke down and then proceeded to administer him a nasty electric shock via the mic, Napolean and Joe calmly easing him through the experience. Indeed, his very discomfort intesified the magic of the event - The Dweeze wasn’t there out of some desperate craving for attention or recognition; his mission was purely musical, and his playing was evidence of his devotion to the great canon. Which brings us to…

b) I remember Frank himself saying in an interview on BBC Radio 1 that Michael Jackson’s music stood a better chance of surviving not becuase of the size of the corpus (teeny), but becasue of the number of copies in circulation. After he died, a reviewer of an orchestral concert of his music remarked that it was in this arena - so-called “classical” - that his music was most likely to live on. (Let’s face it, if all the computers crash, there’ll still be the notes written on paper, and orchestras to perform it as a relic from a strange and wonderful age.) To the point: what we shouldn’t ever forget is the political power of THE MUSIC ITSELF. In my view, Frank Zappa was far more subversive, expressed himself most eloquently and most radically, through his music. Not only is music “the best”, it is also the most transcendent of the art-forms, and Frank’s music’s message of fierce independence of thought and freedom of spirit and imagination is far more potent than any soapboxing he or Dweezil or any of his followers - or anyone else for that matter - might do, and will remain so for centuries to come.

I’m also a big Bob fan, and I know many have lambasted him for refusing to come out and SAY THINGS; I’m also aware that Frank DID come out and SAY THINGS. But it is up to us, the open-hearted listener, to see beyond the mere words, and to tap into the very essence, emotional and, dare I say it, intellectual, of what our great musical heroes express in their songs, their music and their very lives. “And you know something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?” Are we the poor bemused Joneses, or are we the Jones Crushers?

The defence rests.

Viva Zappa and all who sail with him…

(And thank you, Dweezil. We all owe you a great debt of gratitude and - I know it’s soppy, but… - love.)

I had seen Frank before and was always left dazzled and amazed like a 16 year old boy kissing girl for the first time. You know that feeling. You are not sure what hit you, but you say, “Hit me again!” Somehow I knew this was Franks last tour. I was grateful my wife let me go, but lonely with the feeling this was an experience we would not truly share for the rest our lives.

18 years later, I come home from the road and my wife is at work but the kids are home on a beautifully warm Spring Saturday. I begin to check the news, sports and (even though I feel betrayed because the ZFT has tour dates mostly overseas) Zappa.com. Lo and behold! NEW DATES and Chicago tickets are on sale…………

My heart is pounding! I feel the excitement and curious feeling of a teenage boy in love. I stammer to my kids, “Wh-whe-wh-where’s my wallet? I yell for two oldest kids to see if they want to go. My daughter can’t make up her mind; I call my wife and try to entice her. Both of them play the “tell him what he wants to hear” reel. No time to be the chump – I shout down into the dungeon where my first born likes to call home and he’s excited by the idea of seeing live Zappa. Conveniently, this works as a birthday gift and I get two tickets. Fortunately or unfortunately, most of my son’s friends are musically illiterate and think vocals with pitch are old folk’s music.

I resumed my work life on the road and had to spend time near Kansas City and then a good deal of time outside Atlanta. I traveled back to Kalamazoo Michigan by car arriving at 8:30AM on the 17th of June. Beaten down by the road.- I collapse into my bed. Ultimately my son and I travel to Chicago and see the ZPZ show at the Auditorium Theater later in the evening.

My son has been listening to Frank since before he was born. Up until the last few years Zappa was the main musical accompaniment for each passing day in our home. He was exited and unsure of what to expect. It is difficult to find shows we can enjoy together as many of the acts I have seen have been forced to the club and bar circuits and these venues enjoy the revenue stream of ageing fans who love to drink. Rare to find an all ages show for my taste. For my part, I am skeptical as can be, but hoping Dweezil can make it a show to remember. We make to Chicago early thanks to a beautiful 2006 Ford Mustang and the absence of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois State Police. Chicago is cookin’ on this day. Ninety-plus degrees, windy and sunny. We parked in the underground garage by the lake and as we are making our way to the surface you can see the a curious dichotomy of the people arriving downtown. The crowds were somewhat heavy with everyday middle-aged men and their wives or their kids and the rich upper crusties in their formal attire. Seems Daniel Bareboim had decided to leave the CSO and it was his farewell performance. I love the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but Barenboim SUCKED! Goodbye. Bonus surprise for me.

My son and I walk around the lakefront side of the City. He grows bored and I borough into my memories. I marvel at how much the City has changed yet seems the same. Forever Chicago remains part of my identity. It is wallpapered to the inside of my heart. Every time I return it feels like a school reunion. Awkward in its familiarity, part of me yearns to exist here while the life I lived is no longer in its shadow. My life as a child is filled with this City as a backdrop, yet my childhood is that of another person. Life’s journey has taken me to the back alley of suburban servitude in a dying state where a recession would seem like a boom. My children are not of Chicago’s loins, but of mine. They can hardly relate and I long for them to “get it.” Zappa is one thing my childhood shares with my son’s. We talk some. He mostly listens. Occasionally, we talk about our pending move to the “South” and about Zappa. While he listens to the music frequently, I am the freak who listens and reads and uses all things Zappa to channel any OCD tendencies I have. He asks me question about Zappa Plays Zappa which irk me because the information is available on the WEB. My patience is wearing thin as my anxiety builds. I show him the Auditorium and we circle the block. I hear the sound check as we stroll by the alleyway leading to the backstage. I have had many dreams of hearing Zappa live and I feel like disappointment is what awaits me.

We gather near the front entrance and I look at the mix of the crowd and see there are many like myself, people who have brought others to share in the experience. Friends mingle and discuss the lore of Zappa shows faded in memory but solid and statuesque in the retelling. Fact and fiction rolled into legends. I overhear someone say they saw Frank take a shit on stage and another say he heard Frank ate Alice Cooper’s loaf. I guess sense and intelligence are not a requirement to enjoy the bombast of this art. Inside we make our way to the memorabilia booth. I get my son a shirt, some sticker/pin pack, and a “tour program”. Next stop I send my son to the can and order to beers. The heat of the day made me thirsty but not stupid. I was not going to have to leave to go to the head. I figured the show length might be longer than most.

Below is what I will call my review of the show. It is not a blow by blow – just my report card.
Chicago-June 17th, 2006
A for effort
A for Achievement

Sound

The sound was fantastic! OF course where you sit makes a difference and there will always be some variation, but this has to be one of the best places for audio enjoyment.

Lighting

This was the weakest portion of the show. The overall design was appropriate and up to date. Hopefully there were some technical difficulties to explain the mishaps during the drum duet. While Terry was soloing a spot flashed a couple of times on DZ and then when Terry finished and the Vaultmeister took over someone from the stage had to yell out to have the lights come up on Joe.

Live entertainment…opps

Ellis (sp?)

DZ brought up a kid from the audience for the performance of the song with “guacamole queen”. This was worth the price of admission. Whatever the background to this interlude is, the kid apparently had the opportunity to communicate to DZ that he wanted to hear this song and so DZ brings him up on stage for the performance of INCA ROADS. Then the kid gets to help play part of the guitar solo, some bass and then some keyboard.

The Band

This is hard to speak to….The performance was overall an A, but it is difficult to see FZ music played without the “fun”. It appeared they had chemistry and all yet the performance reminded me of watching someone interview for a job and while all the answers were correct, the self-confidence and at ease demeanor has not fully developed.

Very Special Guests

Vai - It was good to see him play FZ again. I like his material on it’s own merit. I guess I am too old to enjoy his theatrics. I found myself turning my attention to the rest of the band during his performance.
Brock - Make him part of the band.
Bozzio - OH MY GAWD! I never saw Terry play with Frank…I missed more than I ever realized. Perhaps it was the position in the audio mix. The official releases do not do him justice. Charisma with a back-breaking beat. Bruce Lee of the drum kit.

Audience

I was surprised to see how welcoming the audience was and how much appreciation they had for the whole production. It was a good mix and plenty of parent child combos which should help with the stated goal for this tour.
There were two annoying assholes seated in front of us talking nearly the entire time until they had to leave…..They acted like they paid a five dollar cover charge to see a local bar band and proceeded to get drunk and had to leave before the half-way mark.
I sometimes forget my age. I was reminded again when I notice how many folks had to get up and go to the can…repeatedly. If you can’t make through a 3 hour concert, then get your prostate exam.

DZ

Each FZ show was unique and to be fair to Dweezil, we should not expect anything from him based on his father’s legacy. Frank blended the composer role within the performer role. Did Frank ever play the same solo? Dweezil is good but he is better outside of his father’s shadow. I like DZ and Z had spontaneity. I will go see these guys again in KC in October. I expect there will be some DZ added to the set list and maybe he can be more himself and add to FZ music instead of just paying homage. Be the human element and make it more than a reverent rehashing.

Well, well, well, what can you say? Definitely two of my favorite all-time concerts! Loved all the tunes! LOVED Napoleon! CRUSHED that Bozio was hurt. Pleasantly surprised by Dweez: his soloing was usually smooth and Frankesque and his bandleading was decent, especially in SF.

The HOB show knocked my freakin’ sox off! What energy! Very loud and in charge sound. The band was immediate pumped up by the crowd. Great instrumentation, but missing a trombone or bari sax. So wonderful to hear a mallet player, but wasn’t able to view him at HOB. Setlist was just perfect, IMHO. They played my favorite tunes and yours too probably. A few reviewers above expected Dweez to play more “serious” works, but I wanted fun vocal tunes with all the technical passages included, which is exactly what I got! I saw the Absolute Ensemble play classical zappa, and it was great, but I wanted to rock! A lot of haters on here who bash this tour, but it was better than I expected and quite entertaining. No, Dweezil isn’t great with the crowd like his dad, and he doesn’t get Frank’s humor. But I didn’t expect him to! The worst part was the hand signals, but that lasted all of five minutes. Ahmet would have helped a lot as the comic relief. Steve Vai is great and all, but he played too much at HOB, almost stealing the show at the end. Steve was more restrained and effective in SF. Overall, both shows were too loud, especially HOB. But the mix was way better in SF. At the HOB, the mix steadily improved, but the levels were too high for that little sweatbox. OK, so the band isn’t as tight as the ‘74 tour and they cut some musical corners here and there, but, my god people, they played the s**t out of those songs and all members were more than competent. I think Joe rushed a few tunes at HOB, but it was a way livelier crowd with everyone screaming all the time. Really fun! At the Warfield, the entire audience is seated, with random fists pumping in a sea of bobbing heads. So, Warfield was more laid back, but it’s a much bigger venue, with a great view for everyone.

About the music: loved almost every minute of it! My faves were Florentine Pogen, Yellow Snow, all Roxy tunes, Black Page, Zombie Woof, Punky’s Whips. Napoleon is definitely the hardest working man in showbusiness, as he goes from sax, to lead vox, to dancing, to flute, and back to singing all in one tune. He sounded great, not cracking, knowing his range. Nice backing vox too. Great drummer, but not zappa caliber as noted above. Bass was always usually right on and blended in nicely, not taking too many chances at HOB, but had a nice slap session in SF. Aaron (keys) went OFF during inca roads at HOB, doing this computer voice craziness, but wasn’t feeling it as much in SF. His SF solo included some nice doubling of trumpet and keys. Liked the alto solo better in SF (they were different players, right?). Sooooo glad they played Sun Village into Echidna’s. Great sound on that one as well as Black page, zombie woof, montana. On the oldest tunes, some subtleties and eyebrows were lost or forgotten. Although they played with little dynamic sensitivity (SF was better in this regard), they phrases were clean and clear and generally together. Split parts and solo parts were played with confidence and flair. SF did sound bit out of tune (alto?), but overall, nice blending.

Dweez was stoic and seemed genuinely happy to play the tour and was appreciative of the audience. He liked to just nod and listen as if saying to himself “wow, another night of this beautiful music by great players, and I get to be part of it!” I see that there’s a big controversy about him and all. But my take is that this is a great tour, and it got me to check out project/object too.

Both shows were emotional for almost everyone, even the players, but in different ways. At HOB, it was fever of excitement. The crowd was a bit younger and we were packed in like sardines. The tone at the Wafield was more nostalgiac, as it was the final tour date. Gail and Diva even came out at the end and Dweez trembled as he cried. I couldn’t have aksed for more, and the only reason there aren’t my favorite concerts is because I was lucky enough to see Herbie Hancock a few years ago. Never got to see FZ, though.

In spite of that, I brought my granddaughter and her boyfriend. I wanted them to see the quality performances that I anticipated, and I was not disappointed. I don’t believe I’ve often heard musicianship that equaled what I heard at this concert. I did have some difficulty, though, and it didn’t all have to do with my beliefs.

As I saw and heard others comment, it was much too loud. My brother said that he’d been to a Jethro Tull concert, recently, where the volume was lower, and the music was very well balanced, and he could hear the instruments much more clearly.

I was relieved, though, when the first set seemed to be ending, because I thought the show was ending. I was glad I brought my granddaughter and her boyfriend, and I planned to put some grandfatherly spin on the show on the ride home. When I realized that they were just breaking to set up some more equipment, I thought, “oh, no!” (old guy thing), but I figured I could make it through another set. When they started, though, it seemed even louder than the first set. I settled in and prayed.

During the break, I said to my brother, who also came with us, that I hoped they’d play something from Hot Rats in the second set, like maybe Peaches n Regalia. They did, but I’d begun to really enjoy the music even before that. In spite of the volume, they played wonderfully throughout the rest of the show. I was captivated, and I figured Pink Floyd already did my hearing in anyway.

After the concert, as we were leaving, I asked whether Frank played less loudly or is it just that I got old. I repeated that question to other friends over the next few days. The standard answer was, “both”.

We also talked about what a fine concert it was. If they come to town again, I have a few other grandchildren I’d like to bring, and their parents, too. I do hope they turn it down, though!

(…by the way, does Dweezil look a little like Donovan!?!…)

http://www.guitarplayertv.com/

Check the menu on the left.

Video: Montana & Dupree’s Paradise
Imaginary Diseases
Hungry Freaks Daddy
Lets Make The Water Turn Black
Florentine Pogen
Pygmy Twylyte
The Idiot Bastard Son
Cheepnis
King Kong W/ Heavy Duty Judy, Thirteen, Filthy Habbits, The Pink Panther
Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow
St. Alfonzo’s Pankcake Breakfast
Father O’Blivion
Inca Roads
Eat That Question W/ Warren DeMartini from RATT
Im So Cute
Trying To Grow A Chin
Punky’s Whips
The Black Page #2
Peaches En Regalia
Montana
Village Of The Sun
Enchidna’s Arf (Of You)
Zomby Woof
Chungas Revenge W/FZ

Break for about 3 mins

Oh No
Son Of Orange County
More Trouble Every Day
Tush Tush Tush (Token Of My Extreem)

Company Bow

Sofa

Absolutly amazing show 3 and a Half Hours one tiny break I was on the floor and the sound was great. Dz was a little quite and the start but was quickly bumped up to mach the rest of the Band.

One last note there were Six Cameramen there last night Two in the Balconys Two on the Floor at the foot of the stage and two on stage behingd the band DZ told us that is was being Filmed. possible DVD?

This concert was so arpeggio, I don’t think I have the words. I loved every single second of it. Well, where should I start? I think the concert started around 8:20 p.m. and ended at 11:30 p.m. Down comes the screen and the credits rolled for Montana/ Dupree’s Surprise from the Roxy in 1973. Napolean comes out with a with a white jumpsuit and then Ruth is shown with her half shirt. George Duke then warms up the keyboard. The sickest thing in the video was when Frank came on, the camera panned down to his shoes. Those boots were so pimpin’, it caused me to smile. As the video finished, out came the band with Imaginary Diseases. I never heard of this song. It sounded great to me though, no complaints. I then stuck in my earplugs, it was a good move.
In my nose I could smell the hippy weed all of the time. I hate that shit. Everyone was smoking it, but me and some other smart ones. But here is what I witnessed.

Hungry Freaks, Daddy -my favorite oldie, Napolean was a riot.
Let’s Make The Water Turn Black -Napolean’s voice cracked a little.
Florentine Pogen -I heard Shelia belt out something and I went WOW!!
Pygmy Twylyte -Joe was on fire, his drums sound so clean and pure.
The Idiot Bastard Son -Napolean was funny.
Cheepnis -Joe was so funny with the nuclear force story.
Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow -Napolean kept screaming like a girl and grabbing his crotch and asshole. It was in tune with the beat I say.
King Kong/Filthy Habits -Was very entertaining with Dweezil pointing to Joe and Peter then to Billy. Joe played the little cymbal when Dweezil signed the burning hand symbol and Billy played the little gong. It was so funny when Dweezil caught Joe banging the little cymbal when he didn’t want him to yet. Peter played the bass like Les Claypool does in Pork Soda. Everyone had a solo op.
St. Alphonso’s Pancake Breakfast -Aarons bugle was so loud, it was sick.
Eat That Question -Aaron was on fire. Then Dweezil brought out Warren DeMartini from RATT!! They dueled for 10 minuets.
Inca Roads -Dweezil said it took him 2 years to learn this one. It’s his favorite song to play.
I’m So Cute -After Terry apologizes for being hurt and not being able to play the drums, he says “I sure hope that I don’t let anyone down in the drumming community.” This song was so flippin’ loud. I loved it. I have more to say about Terry below.
Tryin’ to Grown a Chin -Terry excells in stage presence. He has the whole Henry Rollins stance. He jumps up and down like he’s 20. He was so funny with the other guys.
Punky’s Whips -Terry admitted his love for Punky. Terry then got behind the kit and drummed one handed. He loves his cymbals. One sounds like a firework sound. But, Terry said that he asked Napolean where he got all his energy from. Napolean’s answer was Ginseng!
Peaches en Regalia -Dweezil said this song put him to sleep when he was on tour with Frank. Its food for your ears. The shortest song of the night.
Montana -Napolean with his tweezers on the pygmy pony. Shelia with back up vocals was perfect. Terry is covering his face and fidgiting on the side of the stage. He looked like he was nervous or just being supportive until it was his turn again.
Village of the Sun -Napolean sounded a little firm on vocals.
Enchidna’s Arf (of you) -Aaron with bugle and Billy playing vibes was insane.
Zomby Woof -Does Steve Vai know that he blows doors on guitar? He cranked up his amp so much, my face melted. He plays so fast, so good, and inventive. I was in awe the whole time, he didn’t want to stop playing. When Steve played his guitar quietly, some jerk yelled out, “Fuck You,” and that wasn’t cool. Big standing O.
Black Pages Part 1 -Terry returns to the kit one handed and duels Joe. Terry was so fast and powerful. He could have exploded his other bicep. Insane duel and song. Joe was sick when he had his solo time. The beats were like a machine gun, firing out in order.
Chunga’s Revenge -The screen comes down and Dweezil starts strumming and Joe plays the drums in sync. Then Dweezil stops and we here Frank and Joe play together only. Dweezil ends it with a new ending.

Encore

Out comes…

Oh No
Orange County Lumber Truck

Then…

SOFA

Dweezil brings out his mom, Gail Zappa!!!
She and Dweezil end it with a jump in the air and BANG! Over.

Dweezil then names everyone in the band while they all play A Token of His Extreme softly. Then Napolean says, “Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, Dweezil ZAPPA, it was emotional each time when he said ZAPPA. Everyone went nuts. Lights went off and on each time. Dweezil did his royal wave goodbye. Everyone was off stage except for Napolean. He got the last laugh. He Hissed at the front row or something funny like that. Fade out music.

What a night. I had a blast. I was a little sweaty from sitting in my balcony seat. I didn’t bring my camera or phone. I was old school. The memory will be in my head forever. I went to the stage and people got setlists. I saw Aaron give out the last one. I was left with nothing but my new tour shirt I bought before the show. Outside, I passed a hundred bums and dime bag pushers. Do something GAVIN!!! Open the mental institutions again Bush!

Terry Bozzio. I thought Terry blew everyone there out of the water. He is my MVP. His skill is unmatched. He plays and sings with so much passion. He told us that Frank would have wanted him to participate somehow, and he did it in a big way. Terry, I am not worthy. You showed a lot of balls. One handed is not easy, but it came naturally for you. Did you call up Rick Allen from Def Leppard for advice? Terry, I hope that your arm recovers and that you may play again with Dweezil.

That’s it folks.

Wilma Handu

Gosh, I wish I was there…

Frank, my man, be proud of all this, cause Nobody ever had a tribute like that.
Love U FZ, forever…

Phil, 28, still ripping..

Wow! I have studied this tour extensively, yet the show still exceeded all of my expectations. I had read every review, (at the time) had listened to 5 complete shows (by the time of this writing, on the 19th, I have 9, including the Toronto show, Im listening to it as I write this), downloaded every video clip I had found, and read every article and interview related to this tour yet I was still astounded. A lot of my friends said I was nuts/that I was ruining it for myself listening to all the shows ahead of time. I disagreed, stated that I will know and realize every little nuance that was different/unique to the performance. That said, upon arrival we were informed at the door by a H.C. staff that Napoleon Murphy Brock would not be there (and that we could choose not to attend and get a refund - yeah right!) Now I knew that we were in for a unique performance. I expected nothing less anyways, but now it was apparent before I walked in! I purchased 2 t-shirts and a crappy little pamphlet/program designed by Diva and headed in to find that my 3rd row seats were actually 2nd row as only the center section had a 1st row (bonus!). The announcement was a family emergency that Nappy had to be home to tend to but we all speculated that he couldnt get across the border. We recalled a similar situation when Project Object came to Toronto a few years back and no N.M.B. (This seems confirmed since he was there the next night with ZpZ in Chicago.)

Opening the show was FZ and the 1973 Mothers of Invention on a big screen: video footage from the Roxy video that they have been teasing us for 3 years would be coming soon (Rolling Eyes) . It was nice to finally see about 20-30 minutes of this footage, but I want the 4 hours on dvd promised in the trailer on the Baby Snakes dvd menu and on the website back in the fall of 2003. But… thats another story. After watching Montana and Duprees Paradise with Frank larger than life, out came Dweezil and the “young” band. Now, I only refer to the “kids” as the younger members of the band that werent veterans of previous touring bands of Franks’. They were all established and have distinguished careers of their own, but the musicianship displayed by each and every one of them on this night was incredible. This band is *tight*. They play incredibly intricate, complex music and can stop on a dime… and improvise wonderfully. I was going to end with this, but it should be said here: Frank would be proud. Honestly, I would not have been disappointed in the least had the special guests not been there. This is not a knock on the FZ veterans chosen at all, that is a testament to how good the kids are! (actually, N.M.B. *wasnt* there)

They opened with Imaginary Diseases, a song which has haunted me now for weeks since listening to the first show of this tour I downloaded. See, it is almost like a new FZ song, since it had never been released on an official FZ album until recently. Sure - I have a crappy bootleg cassette copy of it that hasnt seen the light of day in over 10 years but hearing it so much the past few weeks I have had it stuck in my head all day every day… singing it… whistling it… The band was jumping in time to the initial bass line until their individual parts came up, likely expelling some of the pent up energy waiting to perform again. You could immediately see that the “kids” are really enjoying this tour, they’re playing 5-6 nights a week yet are still so enthusiastic. They are playing very challenging music and pulling it off well no, well doesnt suit this, pulling it off spectacularly… it has to be a hell of a rush. Dweezil has really come along as a guitar player and bandleader. He has evolved from a proggressive hair metal shredder to a style of his own: now his phrasing is a lot like his fathers’, but he still has that bit of shred in him and can really take off with blistering fury. As a bandleader he was poised and seemed pretty confident, although a little quiet/reserved. If there are future versions of this tour (?how about yearly? raises eyebrows LOL) maybe with more experience and confidence he will become more animated.

Without Napoleon there to sing, there were changes made obviously, starting with drummer Joe Travers singing the first rendition of Stinkfoot played on the tour so far (already another unique point for Toronto!). Joe did a great job singing FZ and/or Napoleon sung parts all night he sounded surprisingly like Frank! Into a superb King Kong, showcasing the talents of not only the band, but the crowd as well. Dweezil taught us some hand signals and conducted both the stage and the entire venue. Nice to see the Dweez incorporate some audience participation too, Frank would be proud. Everyone on the stage got at least a little solo in King Kong, and everyone impressed me. Joe Travers’ was short, but I knew that we of course had more coming. Jamie Kime got his moment early, which I was glad for since I think it would be pretty intimidating being a guitar player on a stage with Dweezil Zappa and (later) Steve Vai. Pete Griffin reminded me of Scott Thunes, not so much in his playing style, but the fact that he seemed just a little out of place socially and style wise, but could play his ass off and belonged there. Scheila Gonzalez, who already has proven herself the whole tour and this night through Dont Eat the Yellow Snow, St. Alphonsos and Father Oblivion as a competent backup singer, took the lead vocals (for the first time on the tour, again unique to Toronto show!) for Inca Roads and she was great. Even with Napoleon back, they should consider allowing her to sing it for the rest of the tour (that or Village of the Sun). While all of the kids were superb musicians, if there was one to stand out it was Scheila, she was amazing. She impressed by playing saxophone with one hand and keyboards with the other at times, she is someone whose career I will follow beyond this tour. Throughout a few sax solos she got through the night I wondered who influences her most, as I heard elements of a lot of styles in her playing.

After a brief intermission they introduced the great Terry Bozzio. I guess I lied when I said I wouldnt have missed any of the veterans had they not been there, because it is always a thrill to see this man perform live. My seats were literally about 8 feet away from Terry, right in front of him, if he still had long hair he could have been spraying us with sweat LOL. My eyes were glued to him most of the time he was on the stage. After a few heavier, comedic Sheik Yerbouti Terry sung numbers (Im So Cute, Tryin To Grow a Chin), and a “sycophantic love fest” (as Dweezil put it) we got a real treat: a Pound For a Brown. This had only been played once before on the tour so we were getting some more somewhat “unique to Toronto” treatment. Some amazing soloing by most all throughout, but I have to comment on the tasty accents thrown in by the horns (Scheila and Aaron) during Dweezil and Terrys trade off soloing towards the end. Aaron Arntzs keyboard playing was quite good throughout the night, but I thought that there wasnt enough emphasis on his trumpet playing. He and Scheila played quite well together. I think a little bit of a trumpet solo and one less keyboard solo might have been nice (but not necessary). One minor disappointment was that Billy Hulting didnt get another solo, he played his ass off all night of course. I always have loved the parts Frank wrote for his percussionists and felt that Ed and Ruth were a couple of the most underappreciated musicians ever. Well, kudos to Billy Hulting for pulling off all those tricky little notes to a tee. His playing was one of the highlights of the night for me, a lot of the songs just wouldnt work without him. I then got to witness a couple of songs I never thought I would see played live in my lifetime: Terry Bozzio playing Punkys Whips and The Black Page. I was astounded. Steve Vai came out during the break between Black Page 1 and Black Page 2 and my notes (I took a little notepad that I didnt use too much… I didnt want to look away from the stage) for Black Page 2 were just (in capital letters) “holy fuck!”. Stellar. I thank the whole band for playing this, and I thank Frank Zappa for writing it. What an icredible piece of music!

Terry left and the band played on with Steve Vai showcasing his talents through the beautiful Peaches en Regalia, Montana, Village of the Sun (Steves guitar intro to that always makes me misty LOL) and the other highlight of the night for me (the other being black Page 2) : Echidnas Arf (Of You). What an incredible song, words cant begin to describe the performance. You could see it in the bands eyes they loved it too, they nailed it and they response was overwhelming by both us (crowd reaction) and the bands looks on their faces. Probably the biggest surprise of the night was Steve Vai singing lead on Montana! Remember, Nappy wasnt there and everyone had to step up a bit, and Stevie Vai, that little Italian virtuoso actually was pretty good! You could see he was having fun with it.

Since union rules wouldnt permit the show to go past 11pm (thats a whole other issue… dont get me started!) the band didnt actually leave the stage, but instead went into the “encores”. Terry came back out and they did a quick abbreviated O.C.L.T. intro into Trouble Every Day. They were pretty faithful to the original, not deviating into current social & political commentary that I thought that they might have done, but of course I wasnt expecting them to having heard a few versions done on the tour already, just an observation. Of course, they were playing the music of Frank Zappa, and I suppose it wouldnt be right in this context to change lyrics, its just the nature of that song would have allowed for some amusement had they done it. Steve Vai did some real showboating, but when you have that kind of talent, I guess its allowable. Dweezil and Steve did some really amazing ping pong soling, and I cracked upwhen they broke into the “Freebird” riff while soling together. A Terry Bozzio drum solo kicked everyone in the face of course, but then it was a real surprise to see Terry point at and hand over the reins to Joe Travers to solo, and it was really something to see Terry grooving to Joe’s drum solo, which by the way, even following a Bozzio solo, was amazing. You could see it even Terry totally dug it. They slowed it down while Dweezil introduced the band and the music of his father, over the Token Of My Extreme melody, and he then surprised Steve Vai by saying “we only have a few minutes left, but I feel we didnt hear enough Steve Vai tonight, so Id like for him to take a little solo before we finish up” and the band continued with the T.O.M.E. vamp while Steve improvised a stellar solo to take us to 11pm when the lights immediately came on (Damn stagehand or whatever union!).

Since I was right there, afterwards I walked up to the stage and got to briefly talk to Scheila Gonzalez and I waited patiently while Dweezil made his way along the throng and I got an awkward picture with him and he signed both my program and an inaccurate set list that I was able to scoop off of the stage. Its funny the set list obviously was severly altered since Napoleon wasnt there, and due to the time constraints. I will scan them and post them eventually, but I wanted to get this review up a.s.a.p. I took a disposable camera, but the pictures arent very good. They appear surprisingly far away (no zoom on a disposable eh), the pics dont do my seats any justice LOL. Had I taken a digital camera with optical zoom I could have had some amazing shots! Bad as they are, I will post those pics one of these days on a site somewhere.

Thank you Dweezil for doing this tour. Frank would be proud.