4
ARTS
The Michigan Daily
Friday, September 14, 1984
Page 6
Replacements mix and
4
match at Joe's
gig
By Hobey Echlin
One might think a club like Joe's Star
Lounge, with only two more weeks of
existence at its present location, would
begin to wind things down. Fortunatley
for alternative music fans, however,
such is not the case - as was amply
proved on Wednesday night.
Joe's featured a truly dynamic alter-
native lineup Wednesday with Non Fic-
tion and the Variables warming-up for
The. Replacements. the Variables
warmed-up with a set featuring in-
credible basslines, effective chord
guitar, and solid, rolling drumlicks.
This young jazz-influenced trio has
been together for four years except for
a new drummer, who seems to be
pulling his weight.
Non Fiction, after a first set devoid of
musical focus, played a highly original
second set that blended the uniqueness
of jazz fusion with the aura of late 60s
psychedelia. But their look, the second
element of any live show, was a bit too
pop-commerical.
Although the originality of their
sound can be respected, their self-
parody tune, "I'm so bored I fell off my
chair" held too true. It was innovative
nonetheless.
The headliners of this dynamic show,
The Replacements, brought the whole
performance together. Combining the
raw talen of the Variables and the "in-
dividual" look of Non Fiction, the
Replacements took to the stage with a
look as diverse as their sound.
Combining an impish psychodelic-
punk bass player and a guitar player
dressed in an outfit louder than his am-
plifier, with a vocalist and a drummer
that look like they are straight out of a
garage band, The Replacements are
individuals - original, anything but
splashy and trendy. Their music added
to this sense of originality as their set
bounced from heavy-guitar rock to a
quicker thrash style and still further to
an easy ballad temp.
The changing pace matched the
chaning mood of their show. They went
from a slow R&B to hard rock and back
again. And more importantly, they had
fun doing it. A truly good show involvds
a band playing with - not at - the
audience. The Replacements are such a
band. You need not be oriented to any
one kind of music (they aren't) to enjoy
their music.
An hour set and two encores later, the
band went into their most original move
yet - to the tune of a country and
western rhythm.
It wasn't really new music or old
music. What it was was a fun and in-
timately energetic show by a diverse
band.
Minneapolis' The Replacements blend jazz-fusion, psychedelia, and country-western at Joe's Star Lounge Wednesday
night.
4
Other half loves with laughter
By Mike Fisch
Wednesday night a bunch of giddy
senior citizens (it was senior citizen's
night at the Mendelssohn Theatre) and
the rest of us "young 'uns" were
privileged to take in British playwright
Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half
Loves.
How the Other Half Loves, now being
presented by the Ann Arbor Civic
Theatre, is a bedroom farce or perhaps
9aqwe ou! " k .. .
G. Bloomfield, D.D.S.
2301 S. Huron Parkway
971-2310
weekly, evenings, and Saturday appointments available.
one might call it a romantic comedy.
Either way the play is a lot of fun. More
importantly the play is refreshing - it
takes some chances.
One theatrical risk that surfaces in
the play is allowing the audience to see
two scenes at once. It seems like an im-
possibility, seeing through walls, to find
out how the rich snooty wife deals with
breakfast time, and simultaneously
look at the harried middleclass wive's
reaction to the same. Ayckbourn, and in
this case the set designer, accomplishes
such a feat by dividing his stage into
parts, one being the home of successful
business man Frank Foster (Robert
Closson) and his wife Fiona (Carol
Sheldon) and the other the home of Bob
(Barry Collodi) and Teresa Phillips
(Tracy Studerus), the archetypal mid-
dleclass family. The stage is not
divided right down the middle. The
Phillips' and the Foster's, for example,
have the same dinner table and other
common props.
This stage set up is a bit confusing at
first, until Frank Foster calls Bob
Phillips, who works for him, and tells
him to come in to work early. At that
point the idea of the simultaneous
scenes hits home, and the audience can
relax a bit and watch the involved plot
unfold.
How The Other Half Loves, starts out
slow but this is the nature of such a
farce. The whole play is introduced in
the first scene, weird plot and all. The
important things the audience learns
the first act were that Bob Phillip's was
having an affair with Fiona Foster, and
that the two make up an excuse for
their evening out. That's where William
(Richard Roselle) and Mary Detweiler
(Laurie Atwood) come in. Fiona and
Bob tell their perspective spouses that
they were out late commiserating with
one of the Detweilers. According to Bob
and Fiona's separate stories, each of
the Detweilers has been unfaithful, and
each of them was out helping (one with
Mary, one with Bob) their acquaintan-
ce deal with the problem. Sound con-
fusing? Well it should. But that's not the
end of it. Concerned Teresa Phillips and
Frank Foster each invite the Det-
weilers to dinner. That's when the real
fun starts. The two different dinner par-
ties occur at the same time on the
stage, and it's just incredible to watch
the actors work the scene.
If you've ever seen the movie
Deathtrap you know what an involved
plot is - the twists and turns that force
you to stay attentive. How the Other
Halt Loves has that same element of
surprise. the play wouldn't have clicked
had the actors not worked well
together. Due to the simultaneous
scenes, a good portion of the line cues
come from someone that the actor is
not even talking to. Thankfully the six
players in How The Other Half Loves do
some great ensemble work despite the
technical difficulties inherent in the
play. How the Other Half Loves is a good
laugh and a good look at both sides of
the fence at the same time. The
play is being performed again tonight
at 8 p.m. and on Saturday afternoon.
Any of the kinks in Wednesday's show
have been worked out, so go see how
the other half does it.
tID IrlN I 1Vif
E VERYONE likes to party, right? is submit a photograph (preferably
And everyone likes a good party, black and white) of your Friday or
right? Now we all know there are good Saturday night party and a composition
parties and there are good parties. If of 150 words or less describing why you
you hosted a good party, wouldn't you think.your party was the Part of the
want everyone to know? Well, now's Week. All entries must be dropped off in
your chance. The Daily Arts page is the Daily Arts office by 3 p.m. Wed-
prud to announce the birth of what nesday. The winning party will be
hopefully will become a weekly feature published in Friday's Dail
- Party of the Week..All you have to do
Elton rocks at
Joe Louis and
b id are well
displayed the musical success and per-
By A lan Woodro W sonal style that has kept him on the
charts for the last 15 years.
The sold-out crowd at Joe Louis By mixing fast songs with slower
Arena didn't know what toaexpect Wed- songs, Elton kept the atmosphere more
nesday night. After somehow getting subdued than it might have been, with
through the sardine-like lines and en h only a few songs such as "Bennie and
dless traffic, the concertgoer was the Jets," "Saturday Night's Alright
greeted by a simple set which included for Fighting," and "Bitch is Back,"
only the basic instruments and three igniting the jampacked arena.
small platforms. The highlight of the set was an ex-
What the audience got was two hours cellent rendition of "Bennie," with the
of Elton John at his finest. After com- crowd erupting from the first note of an
pleting an enormously successful Elton jazz-blues piano solo. Wearing
European tour, Elton is playing his 44- the outfit he w arson his "Sad Songs"
city North American tour with the style video (and Sasson commercials), Elton
and energy that has made him famous. also played such familiar songs as
He bganhis 23-song set with "Tiny "Philadelphia Freedom," "Daniel,"
DHec began " n nehDon't Let the Sun Go Down on Me,"
Dancer" and had the audience singing "DntLtheSnGDonnM,
and clapping throughout his hit-filled Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,"
line-up. Elton sprinkled the Detroit and "Rocket Man."
show of his "farewell tour" with old Elton's reunion with lyricist Bernie
favorites and newer songs that recently Taupin in 1982 resulted in a comeback
have put him back in the limelight after for Elton and this was reflected in his
a six-year commercial slump. With his See ELTON, Page 7
old band backing him once again, he
1984 BIG TEN COLLECTION
SPORTS SODA
4
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