Oct. 23, 1976 review: Frank Zappa at the Aud

 


A Zappa concert like none other, thanks in part to a certain special presence. 

Oct. 23, 1976

Sure, Zappa’s Older,

But Smarter Too 

Thirteen states of realization from the Frank Zappa concert Friday night in Memorial Auditorium:

          1. This is one of the most thorough bottle searches known to man. One at the door. And man, it’s cold outside. One at the gate. One at the floor.

          2. Cheers for mention of WBUF from the crowd, who are bold enough to do with the lights up what most concert crowds do with the lights down.

          3. Zappa gets older – he’s past 30 – but his fans don’t. Except for a few diehard freaks, they’re basically 18 to 21. Official Festival East headcount: “A little over 6,000.”

          4. The band appears at 8:25. For introductions, let us turn to the official “Oh God, Not Another Frank Zappa Bio … or If This Is Really Rock n’ Roll, How Come Nobody Dances to It?”

          5. “Eddie was formerly with Roxy Music … Terry, Patrick Ray & Bianca are all from the San Francisco area. Terry & Bianca both played in a group called Azteca (not at the same time). Patrick comes to us from the Jazz world and Ray provides representation from the domain of fun. All of them auditioned for membership …”

          6. Never see Terry. A large monitor speaker stage center blocks the view of the drums from front seats. Zappa’s genius apparently has not tackled the problem of stage clutter.

          7. But his genius has tackled everything else. This is not a concert. This is a guided tour of Frank Zappa’s fantasies. Lurking behind that familiar moustache and lip goatee and ratty red jumpsuit is the rebellion and gratification every struggling late adolescent wants to achieve.

          8. Bianca is a master stroke. Mouths drop at the sight of this Black woman with blonde hair and big hoop earrings. She does everything with a wiggle, even the keyboards.

          9. No opening act. Zappa plays 2 hours, 15 minutes straight. No encores.

          10. Selections are as new as “Working in a Gas Station” from the new album, “Zoot Allures,” to a doo-wop “You Don’t Try to Call Me” from “Ruben & the Jets (1967).”

          11. Bionic Funk – that’s what he calls this music – is powerful stuff. Zappa hasn’t sounded this tough in years. His guitar playing is a marvel.

          12. Unmentioned in the biography is the cuddly white stuffed poodle introduced as Frenchie. Poodles are a recurring abuse in Zappa’s lyrics. So is cannibalism.

          13. The final encore, an amazing “Camarillo Brillo,” is the most spirited Zappa this reviewer has ever seen. Do these people have a good time playing this crazy music? You bet they do. Zappa hasn’t gotten older. He’s gotten smarter.

* * * * *

IN THE PHOTO: Cover from Zappa’s live album, “Philly ’76.”

* * * * *

FOOTNOTE: The music from Zappa’s 1976 tour is preserved on “Philly ’76,” recorded Oct. 29 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia and released posthumously in 2009. The lineup includes Ray White on rhythm guitar, Eddie Jobson on keyboards, Patrick O’Hearn on bass, Terry Bozzio on drums and the spectacular Bianca “Lady Bianca” Odin on keyboards. The setlist, courtesy of setlist.fm:

The Purple Lagoon

Stinkfoot

(unknown – probably The Poodle Lecture)

Dirty Love

Wind Up Workin’ in a Gas Station

The Torture Never Stops

(unknown – probably City of Tiny Lights)

You Didn’t Try to Call Me

I’m Not Satisfied

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy

Bwana Dik

Chrissy Puked Twice

Dinah-Moe Humm

Stranded in the Jungle

My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama

Apostrophe

Camarillo Brillo

Muffin Man

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