Color us!

Rarely do New England exiles in Connecticut's Western Reserve (aka northeast Ohio) get the opportunity to see the greatest American band of all time in concert, but it happened Saturday May 6th at Cleveland's Euclid Tavern for the four M's: Mark, Mona, Matt, and Mikey Davis. Why would two parents bring a three year old and a seven year old to a Q concert? Why not? Little Mikey has been obsessed with NRBQ for over 6 months. He has several tapes and plays them over and over. He knows all the words to all the songs. He knows the names of the band members and where they are from. He even holds conversations with an imaginary Terry Adams in his room when he's alone.. I've sat outside his door and listened! So we decided to take Mikey to see the Q for his 3rd birthday which was the day before the concert. After checking with the club whether kids were allowed (they were if supervised) we made sure that Little Mikey had a long nap the afternoon of the concert. Then we all headed up to Cleveland about 9:30, knowing that the Q wouldn't take the stage until at least midnight. We got to the tavern about 10:15 and discovered that they were handing out NRBQ Coloring Contest materials at the door. This consisted of a box of crayons and the Matt Groening NRBQ characters. Both kids got a set. We were just in time to hear the opening band close out their final set with "Here Comes Terry." They knew who the crowd was there to see.

"I Want My Mommy!!!"

S-P-AMP-INA-TO

As the bewitching hour approached, we found a spot next to the stage and got ready. Mikey wanted to know where "The NRBQ guys" were, whether they were hiding. Well, on stage came the boys with trumpets. After goofing around for a few minutes with the horns, Terry grabs his clavinet, gives the crowd a maniacal stare, and yells, "I Want My Mommy!!" They launch into the song of the same name, and the great music didn't stop for over an hour and a half.

Just Me and the Boys

About halfway through the first set, Matt, who wasn't much into The Q (probably because it was all his little brother talked about) turns to me and says, "Dad! They RULE!!" Another Q fan created! About that time, I was informed that Matt had won the Coloring Contest!! I was told to keep it a secret until the official announcement. It was hard, but I did, and we all just enjoyed the music. Finally, Terry reminds the crowd that they had had the contest going on that night and he holds up the winning coloring by none other than MATT DAVIS! Although Matt had used artistic liberty to give all the boys blond hair, Terry was impressed with the colors. Matt was hoisted up on stage with NRBQ to be congratulated! What an honor. Matt seemed a little perplexed as Terry and Tom shook his hand; Joey and Johnny waved from the sidelines.

Terry tells Matt he's won the coloring contest!	"I believe we'd look great in these colors!"

Congrats and a meow from Tom

It had to have been 15 years since I'd last seen the Q. This was a familiar, yet different band. I had never seen Johnny before. He's not Big Al, but he's good too. But what Johnny doesn't have is Big Al's stage presence. Seems that the Spampinato boys are rather shy. We learned just before the concert that the band had played the week before in Nashville and that Big Al joined them on-stage. That would have been a gig to see! We also learned that Steve Ferguson played with the Q last week at a concert in Louisville. Those were trips down memory lane.

Terry Takes a Ride on a Puddin' Truck

I first saw the Q in 1980 at "The Rusty Nail" in Sunderland, MA in the days before it met its fiery end. Of course, living in New England, I had heard about them for years, ever since my little sister used to sneak into the Crystal Lake Ballroom in Ellington, CT, to hear them play in the early 1970's. But, that night at "The Nail" I was hooked. These guys could do it all musically and were loads of fun as well. The images remain: Terry, neon shirt aglow, pounding on the piano with his feet, and sounding incredibly good; Joey, man of stone, almost motionless, matching the image of his characteristically subdued bass playing; Tom, looking lost in percussion land, those curly-Q locks bopping up and down; and, who could forget Big Al, the musical mountain of a man, putting his soul into his guitar, sweat and broken picks flying every which way.

Joey breaking away to his dreams

Over the next six years, I saw the Q at least a dozen more times at various locations. The great music and the fun never stopped. Whether Terry was yelling at Bill Sweetman for stealing songs out of The Magic Box or scolding the University of Lowell Class of 1981 for being too rowdy during May Day party season, the boys never forgot their audience. And what endeared them to us all was how they never took themselves too seriously, in spite of the great musicians they were. Who could forget such gems as "Bonanza" or the time they played (and played, and played) Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the 'Eddie' Fitzgerald" for over 30 minutes one night at "The Nail."

It's hard to imagine that this band has been touring for over 30 years. You know it isn't going to last forever! Hey, Terry's 52 years old! He can't keep up this pace forever. So, get out there and see this great band while you can! Don't just buy the CDs! Don't just see them on the Simpsons and in The Sandra Bullock movie "28 Days"..get to a gig! Only then will you understand why Matt concluded that this band rules!

Oww! Why do my fingers hurt so much?

That night we were treated to a great mix of old and new tunes: Sail On, Sail On, Housekeeping, Be Here Now, Pain, Sitting in the Park (I didn't know Tom could sing!), Paris (well, I guess he can), RC Cola and a Moon Pie, Queen Talk (even sounded good without horns!), Green Lights, Batman, Things We Like To Do, Me and the Boys, Breakaway to My Dreams, Encyclopedia, [New Haven! Hartford! Springfield! Amherst, Massachusetts!...�intro by Terry] Next Stop, Brattleboro! (One of Mikey's favorites), Little Floater, I Love Her, She Loves Me (what happened to the toy piano, Terry?), Jimmy Crack Corn, Puddin' Truck, and others.