Essay About Local Classic Rock Band And Lead Singer

Concert Critique
Essay title: Concert Critique
I chose to do my Concert Critique on a local classic rock band, VIVA. The
live concert took place on Friday, June 24, 2005 at 8:30 p.m. at Bayside Market Place.
The concert was held outdoors on a stage overlooking the water. The audience was
seated on concrete benches facing the stage and there were some patrons who were seated
on plastic chairs that they had pulled away from the nearby bar. The lighting was not
very extravagant, not many bells and whistles, just enough lighting to light the stage and
the band members. The acoustics were fairly good considering it was outdoors. VIVA
is one of the very few local groups that can play music from the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s,
including the Disco Era, up to hits from the recent decade.
VIVA consists of four members: a bassist/lead singer, a keyboardist/back-up
singer, a guitarist/back-up singer and a drummer. The drummer also sings back-up, but
on several songs, The Eagles Hotel California for example, he is the lead singer. The
band members were dressed in very casual attire, they were all in jeans and causal shirts
except for the drummer which was in shorts and a tee shirt. The band members ages
seemed to range from the their early 40’s to the their late 50’s. The ages of the audience
mostly mirrored those of the band members although there were some patrons who were
of a younger age like myself. They were playing to a pretty packed house, there were
even several people standing because there were no more seats available.
They opened their first set with their rendition of the 1960’s Beatles classic, Saw
Her Standing There. They followed that with the hit from Los Bravos, Black is Black.
They continued on their 1960’s tour with a song form The Grass Roots, Temptation Eyes.
They followed their 1960’s medley with some 1950’s Doo Wop in the hit from Dion,
Run Around Sue. These first few songs were played very well and the acoustics were
excellent. They even got a few patrons of their chairs and dancing in front of the stage.
They completed their first set with songs from The Temptations’ My Girl, Ritchie
Valens’Come On Let’s Go, Jerry Lee Lewis’ Great Balls Of Fire, and Brown Eyed Girl
from Van Morrison.
After a fifteen minute break the band begun their second set, which included hits
from The Eagles, Santana, Lynard Skynard, and KC And The Sunshine Band. It was a
smooth transition to go from classic rock hits from the 1950’s and 60’s to the more heavy
and guitar dominated 1970’s. I personally have always been a fan of the music of the late
1960’s and the 1970’s, I believe it laid the groundwork for much of the contemporary
rock bands and music which I enjoy today. As I previously stated the drummer was the
lead singer on the band’s rendition of Hotel California by The Eagles. The drummer was
also the lead singer for their cover of Lynard Skyard’s Sweet Home Alabama. They
followed that up with Santana’s Black Magic Woman, which I might add the guitarist
did a marvelous job with this particular piece. They also threw in a Disco Medley from
KC And The Sunshine Band with their hits Shake Your Booty and Boogie Shoes. They
followed