arts & entertainment Geils By KEITH TOSOLT Some rock and roll bands rise to critical fame on the strength of their studio recordings, while others base their reputation on the live show. It's a fairly clear cut dichotomy: There are groups that are primarily studio- oriented and others who do it better live. Of course, the lines do not get crossed and there are some perfor- mers, The Who for one, that are superb in both mediums. But when the controlled atmosphere of the studio is taken away, these "studio groups" fall short in live per- formance. Led Zeppelin is the classic example here. It's a simple fact' that many effects of the studio production process just can't be recreated in a live situation, so bands like Yes and ELO have to rely on tapes, which starts lawsuits over faked performances and takes the concerns the farthest- away from what a rock and roll show is or should be all about. The sublime essence of live rock is two part, involving the dance and the party, and no group inspires their audiences to do both simultaneously as. well as The J. Geils Band, which can gz provided a welcome sanctuary from an otherwise dismal Sunday night for an enthusiastic crowd at Ypsilanti Bowen Fieldhouse. Peter Wolf and company always perform like an audience's best friend, always living up to expec- tations. The foundation of the near ten-year career of The J. Geils Band has been their track record in the concert arena. While their albums have fluctuated in both critical and commercial response, the results elicited from their frequent touring have remained constant. This is a band whose first album to garner at- tention was the live Full House recor- ded in 1972 Detroit. From that point on, Detroit and "Geils" went hand in hand like old lovers. And this romance has always produced memorable concerts. THE FIRST time I saw the band was in 1974 when they were promoting Ladies Invited, somewhat of a digression from the straight ahead boogie of the extremely successful Bloodshot album of the year before. I had never experienced a concert where the crowd reaction was so intense and infectious. Everyone danced from )both' beginning to end, stomping and (raving when Peter Wolf did a little "Detroit Demolition" on an organ that refused to function by pushing the disabled in- strument off the stage. At another con- cert, Lester Bangs, the rambling dean of rock journalese, joined the band for an encore and performed. an inspired solo on his typewriter. It was rock craziness at its finest and wildest. Now, a few years later, the J. Geils Band is again on top with Sanctuary; an album which reaffirms their hard rock side after the stylistic change of Monkey 'Island (their first self- produced work, somewhat overlooked by the rock public). Their new material comprised the first half of Sunday's show, followed by all the old favorites. The show-stopping "Jus' Can't Stop Me" began the festivities as Peter Wolf took over as the director. The paradigm model of the rock and roll frontman, a clean-shaven Wolf with his jive stage rap and dark glasses danced and jum- ped and generally motivated things. Af- ter "I Could Hurt You," a chair was brought out and Wolf proceeded to give a "Recitation On Rock;" describing the ultimate concertgoers as those who "wake up in the morning and brush their teeth with rock and roll" and end up dancing the night away. - OTHER NEW TUNES included "Wild Man", the big radio hit "One Last Kiss," the title song and "Teresa," a soft ballad duet by Wolf and keyboar- dist Seth Justman. Unfortunately, the mood needed to convey the tenderness of this song was never achieved amidst the yells and calls from the audience. Mellow tunes just can't come across in such noise, which was a shame because "Teresa" is one of the more ways sophisticated Wolf/Justman com- positions. With the new ones out of the way, what else were these guys going to do but play an hour's worth of oldies? Big hits time, which is what everyone comes to the show for. One criticism that can be made about any Geils con- cert is that they all seem to be for- mulated. One knows exactly where Wolf is going to throw in a "Blow Your Face Out! !" and all the other cliched cues. But things actually stay pretty loose so that Wolf can extend the story introduction to "Must of Got Lost", delay the final cadences of "Detroit Breakdown" a number of times, or wander backstage looking for girls to bring on stage during "Love-itis." While Wolf is the visual focus with his stage antics, the other musicians just stay towards the back and thrash their instruments, even though they've probably played all these songs 90 times this year. J. Geils makes his Flying-V scream, relying more on the flash and feel rather than technical ex- pertise in his leads. Justman sets the horns in his Leslie cabinets whirring at an incredible speed with his open hand keyboard technique, as drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and bassist Danny Klein set down the thumping rhythms. And what superlative can be used to describe the harp. playing of Magic Dick that hasn't been used before? He is simply the "Whammer Jammer." Tightness is a quality desired in a number of activities, but it is of the ut- most importance to the stage presence of a rock and roll band. With J. Geils, what you hear on record is what you get in concert. The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, April 10, 1979-Page 5 Attention cut-ups ! Ark hosts yuck fest All major cities have them, and now the comedian's amateur night is coming to Ann Arbor. "Every dorm hallway has a cut-up; every fraternity has a few clowns . .. Here's theirchance," says David Siglin, promoter of what he hopes will be the first in a series of amateur comedy nights. "I predict that it will be very good," adds Siglin who manages the Ark cof feehouse with his wife, Linda. The event will be Tuesday, May 15, and eaclhn- tertainer will be allowed between five and fifteen minutes to deliver a routine. "The idea is just like the Hoot nights we have every Wednesday night, except this is for the funny people rather than the musical.' Siglin wants to talk to people interested in performing at the evening event which will be held at the Ark on Hill Street. "There are some limits: Nothing blatantly obscene, etc.," he says. "We want to get it started this summer' ;nd then continue in the fall, hopefully on a regular basis." For more information call the Ark at 761-1451, and ask for David "Thj Im- presario" Siglin. Canterbury 10oft-State Streetf Thursday evening, 8:00 pm, April 12 Cubs Film Institute's "THE LAST SUPPER" The. Last Supper" from Cuba's Tomas Gutierrez Alea, is hardedged satire of the highest orderj satire that lays bare the treachery and folly of, men who sin against men in the name of Christ": Susan Stark, Film Critic, Det. Free Press. Canterbury Loft/Office of Ethics and Religion - ---- - Distracting delights at punch less party By ERIC ZORN The idea behind a Ceilidh (kay- lee)-or musical party-is that a small collection of talented individual per- formers share a stage together and take turns offering songs, jokes, and stories. The success of such an evening of entertainment has little to do with the musical quality of the performers, for if it did, this last weekend's package at the Ark of Martha Burns, Dedee Palaz- zola, and Lisa Null would surely have created several enchanted evenings. Jokingly billed as "Girls! Girls! Girls!"the Ceilidh boasted three very fine talents who were such different personalities that the collective per- formance never seized a certain mood or feeling, and, in a sense, never went anywhere. Though it's a frightful metaphor, watching Saturday's per- formance was like changing channels constantly to try to catch three really good programs at once. Ark veterans know that the Ceilidh format can be devastatingly effective when the performers, either through long association or a chance, fascinating juxtapoisition of repertoir- s, find the right "chemistry." These three women didn't really have it, nor should they have necessarily have been expected to, having never performed together in this way. "I LOVE IT!" sparkled Martha Bur- ns, the only Ann Arbor resident in the group, as she discussed the format. "The differences are what make it ex- citing." Her enthusiasm for the event quite dominated the evening, and she entertained not only with her fine selec- tion of old American songs, but also a sampling of stories and corney jokes. Almost slap-happy at times, Burns seemed to control the mood of the other performers as well as the musical con- tent of the show. She sings with a wonderful, old-timey voice which sounds like it belongs on the "authentic" recordings of the songs which she sings. Succeeding better in the lower registers, Burns has a ten- dency to push her voice a bit, almost overdoing the creakiness which is her special, effective trademark. Dedee Palazzola grew up in Ann Ar- bor, had her wedding reception at the Ark, but has since moved away. Her brief return was a special treat, and she displayed her soft voice and solid guitar finger picking for those who have only been in Ann Arbor for three or four years. Through her songs, many of them either bluesy or bitter, have a lot of power and guts, Palazzola's overall performance was much more subdued than either Burns' or Lisa Null's, and she seemed to get a little lost in the shuffle. Null's big voice and jolly, assertive friendliness had their moments, but never got the chance to pace the evening the way they might have without the constant shifting from per- former to performer. Her songs, ac- companied instrumentally by travelling companion Bill Shute on the guitar, were very interesting British Isles and New England songs with powerful choruses which everyone took delight in joining. There was more talent on stage than had an effective outlet. Individually, each of the women would have been worth the admission price, but as one act, perhaps one should have sent "regrets" to the musical party. THE U-M CENTER FOR AFROAMERICAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES presents "Racial Politics and Social Transformation in the Caribbean" with DR. PAULINE STONE Assistant Professor of Political Science University of Michigan APRIL 11-12:00-1:30 P.M. 346 Old A & D BLDG. 909 Monroe St. A s. z will be announced Wednesday, April 11, 4:00 pan Rack Iam Lct.zHall' Main Floor, RadCkham1 Buildirg Open to tlhe Public' "Making Up Stories" Lcctxub~ Essayist and NovdKl Author of Run River (1964) Souching Towall$thlkhem (196, Pa y C t aC It Lays (1977) A Bok o Conmn Prayer (1977)' ell, " She had Oscar fever No doubt as part of a bold attempt to get a last minute nomination for an academy award, actress C;heryl Ladd pitched herself, delightful coun- tenance first, into a four-foot pool of sludge. Notice there is no grime on her teeth. AN EXCEPTIONAL COURSE FALL TERM "PROGRESS OR DECAY? DEVELOPMENTS OF THE MODERN WORLD" Prof. John Broomfield A history course to explain the conflicts and crises of the present. Cross-cultural; comparative; thematic Did you ever expect to find together in one course: Karl Marx, Dean Billy Frye, Queen Victoria,- the Anarchists, Ayatollah Khomeini, Charles Darwin, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Chairman Mao, E. F. Schu- macher, Bella Abzug, and many, many more? IMPERIALISM, NATIONALISM, BUREAUCRACY, THE MILITARY Why not try it? Two course numbers for your choice: History 180 (available also Summer Term lIlA), and History 350. SCO has the dope.