April 17, 1976 review: Bad Company and Kansas in the Niagara Falls Convention Center

 


Despite what the headline says, it’s still the original Bad Company, just badder.

April 17, 1976 

Britain's 'New' Bad Company

Still Deals in the Essentials  

          Does Bad Company do business on Good Friday? You bet. Just check out those hundreds of empty-handed fans scuffling away after the Niagara Falls Convention Center box office sells out about 8 p.m.

          Last June saw seats to spare here for the British foursome, but the intervening months have given birth to their third and what many say is their best elpee, “Run with the Pack.” Now there’s a hot clamor for their mordant sledge-hammer rhythms.

          So much, in fact, that it reportedly leaves the group a bit bemused and bewildered. Then again, what else can a band think after breaking a Led Zeppelin attendance record in Tampa?

* * *

WHAT’S HAPPENED is they’re no longer a constellation of rock luminaries from Free, Mott the Hoople and King Crimson, but a single supernova in its own particularly sweet and nasty spectrum of rock ‘n roll.

          So it’s no idle promise when Paul Rodgers opens proceedings under the projected wolfpack picture from the new album by singing: “Live for the music. You know you’ll find a lot to ease your mind.”

          You ease it in the dark intensity and the massive beat – Boz Burrell’s bass running through your body, guitarist Mick Ralphs soloing along the white cliffs of distortion, kicking occasional notes over the edge.

          It’s all really very simple. No frills, no options. Their adaptation of the Coasters’ “Young Blood” leaves you to fill in the missing parts while they deal out the essentials.

* * *

RODGERS dresses to this simplicity – loose white shirt, big cross on a chain, leather pants – and the no-pressure way he extends his reputation as a power singer to show he can be a power balladeer.

          As for pyrotechnics, there’s more fireworks in the sweaty, boogieing audience than on stage, especially in the call for an encore. A big event is Rodgers taking to an electric piano for a couple of new tunes.

          But thank heavens Bad Company has overcome their old ponderousness. A stumble into dullness is rare this time around and whenever proceedings start plodding, they’re energized with old hits like “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” (their finale) or new treats like “Sweet Lil' Sister.”

          Opening the evening was Kansas, a well-received six-man group based around electric violinist Robbie Steinhardt and guitarist Kerry Livgren and a quickly-shifting set of musical modes, which pretty much glossed over the lack of depth in any particular one.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTO: Bad Company 1976 tour T-shirt.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: Nobody was bigger in 1976 than Bad Company on this “Run with the Pack” tour, which rode on the strength of three straight Top Five albums. Paul Rodgers from Free had put the band together in 1973, bringing aboard his Free bandmate, drummer Simon Kirke, along with Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Guiding them was Peter Grant, who also managed Led Zeppelin.

Setlist.fm doesn’t have the Niagara Falls date, but it has a rundown from the Syracuse show the following night:

Live for the Music

Good Lovin’ Gone Bad

Simple Man

Young Blood

Wild Fire Woman

Feel Like Makin’ Love

Deal with the Preacher

Ready for Love (Mott the Hoople cover)

Dance with the Devil

Shooting Star

Silver, Blue & Gold

Run with the Pack

Rock Steady

Honey Child

Can’t Get Enough

Movin’ On

The Kansas set in Syracuse looks like this on setlist.fm. Their hit single, “Carry On Wayward Son,” was still a few months away. It didn’t arrive until their “Leftoverture” album was released in October.  

Song for America

Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel

Down the Road

Belexes

Drum Solo

Guitar Solo

Child of Innocence

Bringing It Back (J. J. Cale cover)

Can I Tell You

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