March 14, 1998

Grand Funk Railroad, a garage band that grew up to be a real rock and roll band, played the Tupperware Center Saturday night. They have always been a unique band, never seeming to "copy" or "sound like" anyone but themselves. Always the basic "power trio", Grand Funk provided straight ahead American rock and roll, with very little pretensions. During the 70's, they were hated by the critics, loved by the fans, and they sold millions of records. GFR wound up broke in an all too familiar story of a record contract gone bad due to bad management. Recently re-formed with the original members, Grand Funk is touring in support of their latest CD, Bosnia.

I first heard Grand Funk's music in 1969 walking down the hall of a military barracks. One of the other guys had their "On Time" album (large black round things with small holes in the middle for those too young to remember) cranked up to 11. (A la Spinal Tap!) I immediately fell in love with the sound and pounded on the door to find out what album he was playing. I became a fan at that moment.

Anyway, the Railroad rolled into town and put on a solid show at the Tupperware Center. They started off with "Are You Ready", worked through all the radio hits, along with my personal favorite "Paranoid", and ended with "Gimme Shelter". The show was short, only 90 minutes, but the sound was 'on the money', perfectly mixed, loud but not ear-splitting loud. The vocals were excellent. Mark Farner (guitar and occasional keyboard) was all over the stage, with as much energy as someone half his age. Don Brewer (Drums) matched Farner's energy, even while trapped behind his drum set. Mel Schacher (bass) held everything together with absolutely rock-solid bass and provided a stable presence on the stage, letting Mark and Don enjoy the spotlights. Howard Eddy (keyboards and occasional backup guitar) supplied the filler for the studio versions of the songs.

In one of highlights of the show, Don Brewer came from behind the drums to sing the opening of "Some Kind Of Wonderful", using only his drumsticks and Mel's bass for rhythm. Also great was the visual impact of the huge American Flag that dropped down the back of the stage for "We're An American Band". The crowd was appreciative, getting into the music and singing along with the band.

During the show, Mark Farner asked "if there were any Roadkillers out there". Roadkill is the loosely organized internet fan club for the band which has been instrumental in getting information out about it. He was rewarded with a substantial roar of approval from the Roadkill members in the crowd. At one point, Mark said, "you know brothers and sisters, it's OK to get up and dance...this IS a GRAND FUNK concert!"

Mark also paid tribute to the Vietnam Vets. One of the topics of discussion by the fans before the show, and by the band backstage after the show, was the proposed Vietnam Vet tribute concert. Mark, Don and Mel all feel a kinship with the Vietnam Vets, since so much of their music was part of the Vietnam experience. They are trying to set up a special concert sometime in November to benefit the Vietnam vets who supported them during their career.

Bottom line: Excellent show from a veteran American rock and roll institution. They truly are America's Band.

Murf Murphy Murf is a registered professional engineer....(i.e. haircut and a real job) who loves to play guitar. Vist Murf's home page. He lives with (1) wife who wishes he would grow up, (1) teenager who wonders how his parents got to this point in their lives without his help, (2) dogs who sleep a lot, (1) ferret who attacks when not looking and (1) cat who is basically useless. Other Articles I've Written