Nearly twenty SFScope readers, family members, and friends got together last night for a concert having precious little to do with speculative fiction, but everything to do with camaraderie and shared experience. Many of us were delayed on the subway, meaning that we had only a few minutes to chat before the concert actually started. But I met several wonderful people, and shared a little time with several other friends of longer standing.
Southern musician Paul Thorn opened with his own brand of signing, playing, and storytelling. I was there to hear the main act, so I wasn’t inclined to enjoy him, but he grew on me. He talked of his life growing up and living in the South, and sang songs that told stories of his life. His guitar playing was simply an accompaniment to the song-stories he told, there on stage, all by himself. As he finished his set, I grudgingly had to admit I’d enjoyed it.
Then came the reason we were all there: Huey Lewis and the News. Huey must have a painting of himself hidden somewhere that’s crumbling to dust, because he looks like he hasn’t aged a day since the videos I remember from the 1980s. He looks the same, he sounds the same, and the News sound great, too (most are the original members). It was a great concert: I lost track of all the songs they played in which order, but those I remember include starting the set off with “The Heart of Rock & Roll”, moving to a lesser known song, and then jumping into “I Want a New Drug.” After that, it was a ride through the history of the group, including “Heart & Soul”, “The Power of Love” (from the Back to the Future soundtrack), “If This is It”, “Workin’ for a Living”, a capella versions of “It’s Alright” and “Under the Boardwalk” (which isn’t original to HLatN, but was perfect in the Brooklyn park, across the street from that very boardwalk), and one brand-new song, “Pineapple Express” (which they were commissioned to do for the new movie by the same name). “Pineapple Express” didn’t disappoint: it sounded like classic HLatN. They also performed “Walking on a Thin Line” and several others I don’t recall, before leaving the stage. The encore set of three songs included the long-expected “Back to the Future”. The crowd was up and dancing through half the numbers, singing along with many of them, and all thrilled to be right where we were.
The setting was ideal, the show was great, and the company was wonderful. I’m only sorry the concert ended about 10:30 on a school night: most everyone had to scurry home, so we weren’t able to continue the evening together. Next time.
No plans yet for the next SFScope get-together, but when we do plan something, you’ll know by reading.