| TITO
& TARANTULA
Concert Review
by
Dave and Brigitte
Thursday
July 15, 2010
We
got to the venue a little later than we would have liked, but we had
full access to the front of the stage. I found a chair and set
myself right in front of Tito’s microphone stand, opened my
bottles of water and had a chat with the same people who were here
the last time we came to see this band. Some of them are Ten Years
After fan as well.
It’s
a full house, if you consider the size of the room and all the
sardines that are packed into it. There are about twenty people less
tonight than there was the last time we were here. It makes no
never-mind, because we’re all here to have a good time.
The
weather for the last month has been hot here in Germany, but last
night a little cold front came pushing through. It’s still summer
warm, and in this room it’s hot and humid. So much so, that two
thirds of the way through the concert, the venue staff came around
with buckets of ice for us to rub on our heads, arms, necks and
backs – in order to cool off, rather than possibly pass out. After
the concert, when the room was empty, there was a quarter inch of
water and sweat covering the entire floor. So what about the concert
you ask – well, here tis!
The
Concert:
You’ll
be able to see the set list, the band and the fans on Brigitte’s
photo page.
The
show started a little bit late as usual. The band came in through
the back door entrance to the stage, the difference between this
concert and the last one, is that the band and the audience now know
each other. No longer strangers with something to prove or show,
band and audience are now on equal turf, and that is the perfect
arrangement.
Tito
is handed a guitar, he plugs it in, with the girl bass player
plucking a note or two, the drummer who looks like a Buddy Miles
clone, and the guitarist checking out his instrument – are
suddenly ready to slap it into gear. Tito sets the tone and the pace,
and then their off and running at break-neck speed. They blast
through the first number and then jump right into the next one, by
the third song, Tito starts talking with the audience through jokes,
stories and little inaudible quips to himself.
As
the concert progressed, I began to notice one peculiar thing, Tito
didn’t rest, towel off or complain at all. He did mention that
Germany was hotter than his home town in Mexico, as he grabbed a
mouthful of water. He played straight through and enjoyed every
minute of it. You could tell that he was tired and a little bit
under strain, but being the true professional that he is, he gave it
his all until the end of the show.
The
Audience All Stars:
Towards
the end of the night, Tito invites members of the audience to come
up and join him and the band onstage. This is Brigitte’s second
time doing this, along with about thirty other people. Tito starts
jumping up and down, dancing around and so does everyone else up
there!
Great
fun was had by all, on stage and in the audience.
Another
song or two, followed by one encore and it all comes to a happy
conclusion.
Aftermath:
The
floor is covered in water, we’re all covered in sweat, as the
crowd disperses very quickly. Most to the bar, some to the
merchandise stand and others go outside to smoke. We have the
pleasant advantage to chat with the venue owner for a little while,
as he is smiling from ear to ear! He told us that Tito and band so
much enjoyed playing there a year ago that they were all really
looking forward to returning their to play again. The owner and the
band have a good working relationship, that it’s a win - win
situation for everyone involved – most of all (us) the audience…we
couldn’t be more delighted!
While
Brigitte is in conversation, I visit the merchandise table for a
quick look see what’s available. I was talking with some friends
of ours while catching all the activity going on around me. To my
happy surprise, the band is coming in to sign autographs and visit
with us, all except Mr. Tito himself that is…he’s reported to be
sleeping, and who am I to doubt it.
The
drummer has a very strong resemblance to Buddy Miles, and I mention
this to him as I pat him on the back at the same time. He looks at
me and laughs out loud, funny you should say that, as I was just
listening to Buddy this afternoon, right before we arrived here.
The
lady bass player is supporting a colourful array of tattoos, on her
right arm. I then noticed that her fingers are so damn tiny, I mean
like miniature fragile little digits, but they must be strong to
play the way she does. I speak with her for about ten minutes, my
first question being, which of these men belongs to you (meaning
band members), she laughs and says none, my man is in Texas, she
laughs….which causes me to laugh too, but not with her, but at
her, in a friendly way, because to go along with her tiny hands, she
also has the voice of Minnie Mouse, right out of a Walt Disney
Cartoon…..she’s just adorable, when I expected her to sound like
Janis Joplin with cackling laugh and all……in fact, to be honest
she sounds like Marilyn Monroe.
Up
jumps the guitarist of the band, out of nowhere, and I ask him to
sign our websites guestbook, if he would please. He did so with a
happy heart, then we talked a little bit.
He’s
from California and was in other bands with Tito. He showed me which
cd’s he played on, from the ones that I showed him. You can tell
that he likes being a member of this band and it wasn’t only me
that he spent time with, as he worked the room spending time and
talking with anyone who had the desire for an autograph or
conversation, he obliged.
This was our night out with Tito and his Tarantulas
– if you ever get the opportunity to see them live on stage and
meet them in person, please don’t hesitate to do so!!!
|
