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| steel driving hammer |
Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis rock the piano with flamboyant flair
By Steve Morse, Globe Staff, 8/8/2003
EVERLY -- A case could be made that Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis are the two most flamboyant rock pianists of their generation, or any generation, for that matter. Stories abound of Lewis kicking piano stools and once setting a piano on fire. And Richard, even though he's now 70, sashayed around the North Shore Music Theatre stage in a sparkly blue jacket and glitzy white shoes that would've drawn a nod of approval from Liberace.
This was the old-school rock bill of the summer. It was attended by 1,900-plus fans who turned this into an interactive night by shouting out song requests and engaging these two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers as though they were in the living room.
Little Richard ultimately had the upper hand. He's taken care of himself much better through the years than the frail-looking Lewis, a rock outlaw who has endured six marriages (he just filed for divorce from his last wife), the death of two sons, several serious illnesses, and a stint in the Betty Ford Clinic.
Yet Lewis, a graying eminence at age 67, opened this off-date (it was not part of a package tour) by showing remarkable facility at the keys. Dressed in a pinstriped black suit that made him look like an aging George Steinbrenner, Lewis brought the crowd to its feet with ''Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'' and ''Great Balls of Fire,'' though he did not get up from the gleaming Yamaha piano. He still sang reasonably well (nice treatments of ''Crazy Arms'' and Chuck Berry's ''Roll Over Beethoven''), but his patter between songs was often mumbled.
He lived up to his status as an edgy legend (look for an upcoming Lewis album with guest shots from Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards) by telling one aggressive fan, ''keep your mouth shut . . . I'll rock when I want to rock.'' When the Louisiana-born Lewis said, ''I'm a boogie-woogie man from the middle of a swamp,'' no one could argue.Little Richard followed with a set that suggested his prime has not yet passed. When he wasn't banging out hyperactive chords on the same Yamaha piano, Richard romped around stage greeting fans and exhorting his 10-piece band, which had as much energy as he did.
Richard did too much shtick (''I'm going to scream like a white lady!'' he shrieked at one point), but the Georgia native was on his game musically. He opened with ''Good Golly Miss Molly'' and rolled through ''Lucille'' and ''Long Tall Sally,'' while adding Bob Seger's ''OldTime Rock & Roll'' and the Stones's ''It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It) .'' He also praised Lewis (''He played so beautifully'') and wrapped the crowd around his finger as only the best showmen can.
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| FPM C10 |
I love these two guys, and I'm glad I got a chance to see them both. (R&R HoF Show - Jerry Lee played with the E Street Band, and Little Richard was on a revolving stage with about a 20 piece orchestra. YOW!) They are archetypes that predate the Stones. There's a lot of Jerry Lee in Keith, and there's a lot of Little Richard in Mick.
This is the first I've heard that Keith was involved in the new JLL album - Mick's contribution is his great solo country tune "Evening Gown", which I think will fit Jerry Lee like a glove. Woody also plays pedal steel on it, which is always reason to rejoice too. I can't wait to hear this album - I really liked Jerry Lee's last one, Young Blood. That was a good many years ago.
When Keith and Jerry Lee played together in '81, they looked like father and son. Even though they'd never met before, they showed up dressed alike. What a pair, what a team! |
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| tumblingdice |
any release date yet ? |
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