Review: The BoDeans

The urgency in Kurt Neumann’s voice was so strong that he repeated the phrase twice before ending the show: “Buy ‘American Made’ and we’ll come back and play for you.” Translation: we need you to buy our new album to keep going.

Neumann has a lot pushing against him right now. His band, the BoDeans, had a handful of near-hits and big opportunities in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but Neumann is determined to be something more than a nostalgia act. 

Sunday’s 90-minute concert at Knucklehead’s was a defiant statement. Neumann confidently mixed songs from “American Made” with the band’s classic. Most importantly proved he could carry the BoDeans without founding member, songwriting partner and stage foil Sam Llanas.

Llanas may have been missed on the setlist – there was no “Feed the Fire,” “Far Far Away” or “Runaway” – but the fans flooded to the dance floor for “Texas Ride Song” and kept it crowded for most of the night.

The setlist bounced between four decades of work, but the songs all carried the same earthy rock feel that defied time. The new group of players Neumann assembled in the wake of Llanas’ departure brought a freshness to the material and were playing with something to prove. 

Percussion player Alex Marrerro enhanced Neumman’s lead vocals with his high harmonies. The interplay between Warren Hood’s violin and longtime member Michael Ramos’ accordion and organ often recalled the roots/zydeco sound of John Mellencamp’s heyday. During “The Ballad of Jenny Rae,” guitarist Jake Owen slipped in a tribute to Deep Purple’s Jon Lord.

Between songs, Neumann was chipper, explaining how a snowstorm in Montana inspired “Idaho” (the title state provided an easier rhyme) and plugging new single “All the World," which is getting some airplay on CMT. The introductions to the Johnny Cash-inspired “Flyaway” and “Paradise” revealed similar themes of a positive mindset as the ultimate freedom. 

Neumann was smart enough to know that the road to the future will be paved with his past, closing with four fan favorites that got everyone on their feet. He called it a night with “Closer to Free,” the song that served as the theme to “Party of Five” and landed the band in the Top 10. As the audience sang along, it’s hard to imagine the message didn’t resonant with the players onstage as well.

Set list: Stay On, Texas Ride Song, Good Work, Flyaway, The Ballad of Jenny Rae, Tied Down and Chained, Paradise, Idaho, All the World, Angels, American, Fade Away > Good Things. Encore: If I Could Hold You Tonight, Closer to Free.

| Joel Francis, Special to The Star

Comments

[Geordan]

Wasn't sure if there was gonna be a review, as I scribbled my impressions of the show in another thread. Joel mentions "Runaway" here and that's another song I would have liked to have heard last night. I did pick up the new CD (as well as Miles Nielson's latest) and will give it a thorough listen soon. Not that it matters all that much, but the first encore song is called, "Still The Night." Probably should be called, "If I Could Hold You Tonight." Wanted to mention that during that particular song, guitarist Jake Owens sang the Sam Llanas part and it just didn't work. He doesn't have the chops, but did get a few choice guitar solos in last night.

[Kurt]

I didn't go to this show but, have seen the BoDeans before. They were the opening act for INXS in 1994 at Sandstone along with Material Issue. There seemed to be a lot of BoDeans fans in that crowd.

[Jim]

Good memory Kurt— I was at that INXS show as well. Sad that the lead singers for two of those bands (INXS and Material Issue) are dead now.

[Randall]

How was Miles Nielsen?

[Geordan]

Miles Nielson and his band, The Rusted Hearts were a pleasant surprise, although they played to about half the crowd that eventually turned up for The BoDeans. I wrote my impression of them on the thread entitled, "Your ticket-sale alert: featuring Cursive, Hillsong, Noel Gallagher" before this review was posted yesterday. I spoke to Miles afterward as I bought the band's latest from him and he was really cool. His band isn't about bombast and the songs have a subtle 'Beatlesque' feel about them, which his band perfected live.

They played for just under 45 minutes and I actually would have liked a couple of more songs from them, despite as I mentioned in that other thread, some drunk guy hollering out, "You Suck!" after one song, which Miles heard and responded to. Always has to be at least one D-Bag at every show, I guess. If there was any flaw, it was that his drummer played so lightly, you could barely hear his drums over the rest of the sound during a song or two. But overall, Miles and his band have a bright future if they can continue creating such interesting music.

[913KCKKID]

Great that the BoDeans are still making music. Saw them at a KY $1.02 concert at the Uptown in the mid to late 80's. Placed was packed, the band was super tight that night, typical hot+sweaty=great night of rock and roll.

[Justi]

Beautiful inspiration, I love the rocking chair! Have a wonderful day.

[Geordan]

913KCKKID, I believe that $1.02 show at The Uptown was the show I saw with The Smithereens opening. They used to have those $1.02 shows (in which you still had to add an extra 10+ dollars in fees if you bought them via Ticketmaster) regularly, which was a cool deal. Come on, The BoDeans AND The Smithereens for a buck and a couple of pennies! Another good $1.02 show I recall at the Uptown was a band called 3, which consisted of Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer (largest drum kit I've ever seen on a stage and that includes Neil Peart's kit!) and an unknown dude named Robert Berry, who played the understudy role of Greg Lake, as they played mostly ELP songs, in addition to a record they had out at the time. I recall the place being less than half-full, but to see two members of Emerson, Lake & Palmer on stage for a buck was a helluva deal.

I also saw cheap shows at the Uptown sponsored by KY102 in the 80's which included The Del Fuegos with The Georgia Satellites opening (cool show!), Oingo Boingo with The Waitresses opening (A tremendously fun show), The Violent Femmes (forget the opener), and The Church with Tom Verlaine opening, which turned out to be one of my Top Ten shows of all-time. There was tension in The Church camp at the time that I read about later on and you got the feeling that the band members weren't getting along, but they played one of the more aggressive shows I have ever seen on that night. Tom Verlaine played the encore with them and it became a guitar symposium. Just incredible. A much underrated band and three of the four original members are still together making good music.

[Thomas]

If we're going to talk about the old days, I saw the BoDeans open for U2 in '87, at our Kemper Arena

[Geordan]

Needed a thread nobody was currently visiting to mention a nice "Living-Room session" show I saw at Knuckleheads on Saturday night. By the way, those smaller shows back in the Gospel Lounge are just fantastic. Anyway, L.A. songwriter Meiko, and opener, Buddy (who only goes by his first name), another songwriter from L.A., who sings in a band called, wait for it....BUDDY, played to a near capacity crowd in the Gospel Lounge (who knew?). Combined, they both have songs pleasant enough to have graced over a dozen TV shows and both could make some waves in the future if luck intervenes. I first saw Meiko on Jay Leno last month (a video of the performance is on Meiko's myspace page) and a day or so later, she turned up on Knuckleheads calendar. So, I figured I go check the show out.

It wasn't a long show. Meiko and her band played for only an hour and Buddy played solo for 30 minutes. But as an introduction to both, it was a fine display of two talented up and coming songwriters. Buddy played a half dozen songs of love gone wrong and he can definitely work a crowd. How cool was he? For the last two songs of his set, he first gave us a moving acoustic cover of Kelis' "Milkshake" in which the crowd was literally forced to sing the chorus and then he left the stage for his last song, wandering through the crowd as he sang. His original songs were good and left me wanting more. I talked with him before his set and he's as genuinely nice as he is talented.

Meiko's hour-long set was also a strong performance and the crowd treated her like a star. The LOUD applause after every song nearly shook that Gospel Lounge! She definitely has star potential. She's witty, cute as hell (check out the official video for her song "Stuck On You"), and also writes catchy songs that should be all over VH1 instead of schlock-meisters like Train, Maroon 5, or The Fray. Meiko's songs are merely Pop Music done right. I would have also liked a few more songs from her and the three-piece band she brought with her. She did also play three or four songs solo, the best being a song called "Hawaii," which was just beautiful. Anyway, remember their names, because Meiko (pronounced, MEEKO)and Buddy are just a lucky break away from bigger things.

[pellboy]

Thanks for the input on that Meiko show, Geordan as I was actually contemplating seeing her perform @ RedRocks (before a showing of the animated film, Spirited Away) when I'm out there in a couple of weeks. I also saw that Leno performance after noticing her on the RR calendar and thought she and band did okay and the price is certainly right ($12) for a band and movie at that amazing venue. This will be my first opportunity to attend a RR show, however a non-traditional one, as I have been moved out to a different venue on two other attempts because of the late season mountain weather.

[onthemark]

Geordan, I always enjoy your reviews, well done!

[LiveMusicFan]

"This will be my first opportunity to attend a RR show"
Posted by: pellboy

If there's anywhere in America that's cooler to see a concert, I haven't heard of it. At concerts there I've seen moonrises, shooting stars, crazy cloud formations, and a rainbow that ended behind the stage. The weather is one of the best things about Red Rocks, so it's too bad that it forced you out more than once.

[pellboy]

Yeah, LMF, both of the shows I attempted to see (Jeff Beck and Bonnie Raitt, both in the 80s) were in mid Sept. when the weather is particularly iffy in the mountains. At least they weren't cancelled, moved into the old McNichols Arena instead, but unfortunately, no sunsets or shooting stars in there.

[kcmom]

I was at RR for a show almost three years ago, the Friday of Labor Day weekend. It was perfection...there was even a full moon! Here's hoping for the same for you this time!

[Kurt]

I've read that Rush says their favorite outdoor venue is Red Rocks. I've never been there and it's certainly famous. I mostly have passed through the Denver area to go snow skiing. I've been with my brother to the Denver area when, he was in the Air Force and been to Casa Bonita restaurant in Lakewood just west of Denver.

On another trip I went to my Dad's cousins place in Westminster and visited Boulder and that city had a park in the mountains.

[NEW]

You will enjoy RR PB. Since I work out in Denver about 60% of the time, I make it there about 5 or 6 times a year (NY & CH coming up this Sunday).

A couple of hints...Film on the Rocks will sell out and it is GA you will want to get there early. No matter what the movie, it seems to sell out. We went to see "Waynes World" a few weeks ago and that even sold out! I would never guess 9,000 people would come out to see "Waynes World" but I was proven incorrect. You also want to get within the first 30 or 40 rows whic is another reason to get there early. For as magnificent of a venue as red Rocks is, the sound dies a bit by the time it gets to the top 20 rows (there are 70 rows), especially if it is windy. Also check out this pretty cool museum that is at underneath the terrace up top. Lots of cool stuff.

[pellboy]

Thanks for that info, NEW. I'd better get my tickets then. I'm guessing the film series (most have bands opening) is so popular because it's a cheaper way to experience RR. My timing sucks as my only other option was Sublime @ $40 so that's why I'm thinking of hitting up the film/Meiko. I like Sublime okay, but certainly not at that price.

Have actually been to RR once as not sure about now, but back in the day you could just go inside the place when it wasn't in operation. So when Jeff Beck was moved at the prospect of inclement weather, we decided to check out the joint and even in the daytime with no performance, I could see it was an amazing venue. We even tested the acoustics by yelling up to the seats. Cool place indeed.

[NEW]

You can still just go inside the place off hours. It's part of Denvers Parks and Recreation and anyone can rent it out for a show if they want to pay the $15K a day price tag (or something like that). Tons of people run the stairs there daily as part of their daily workout. When bands like Furthur or WSP do multi night stints there, they just hire some security to hang all night and day so none of the day visitors jack with the gear.

Not sure when you were there for JB but I think the terrace was rennovated about 10 years ago. The nicest bathrooms of any venue I have been to can be found up there. Magnificent facilities. There is even a feed from the board into the bathrooms for those waiting on line. DT would be very happy there.

[LiveMusicFan]

You should definitely go during the day to check the place out. You can even take your dogs in! One of my favorite pictures is one of me and my old dog inside Red Rocks. Fun fact: there's a rock formation just below the amphitheater with my last name. Got a pic with me and my old dog with that, too.

[pellboy]

Yeah, it was early 80s for JB so well before the renovations. Looking forward to going, but my time is going to be so tight in CO, still not 100% I can pull it off. If nothing else, will at least try and make the day trip with my kids. Thanks again for all the input.

[joe]

"magnificent facitilies...DT would be very happy."

So would George Costanza!!!

[Rick]

... AND... so would anyone....
it is not that hard or expensive to provide nice facilities.

only hillbilly catering morons (eg Crossroads kc) continue to run crap venus these days.

[NEW]

But RR does lack a roof and a/c. And you could be potentially exposed to much harsher elements than anything that would hamper an evening at Grinders as storms quickly drop down over the Divide a mere 40 miles to the West that result in torrential rain, 50 MPH winds, and 30 degree temperature drops in a matter of minutes. The price of admission and beers are also about double that at Grinders. So RR probably wouldn't work for you either, DT.

[LiveMusicFan]

You don't need a roof OR a/c in Colorado. Summer doesn't get very hot, and the winter doesn't get very cold. I'd go see shows at Red Rocks year-round with no problem (unless a blizzard kept everyone away). The price of admission is well-worth it, and if you're not from there you'll only be able to drink a few beers before getting ripped, but with the oxygen deprivation you don't even need a drink.

[NEW]

You apparently haven't been here (CO) this summer, LMF. While it's not as bad as KC, it's still been pretty brutal.

Don't get me wrong. My personal opinion is that RR is the greatest large venue on Earth. I am just pointing out it has many of the same characteristics as your (and DTs) favorite KC venue. And it also helps to be in decent shape if you are going to a show there since it is at 6,000 feet and an evening there typically involves lots of climbing.

[LiveMusicFan]

Not this summer, but I lived there for six years and none of the houses that I lived in had AC. And there's just no way that you can compare outdoor venues in KC and Colorado. KC has maybe two months per year where it's nice to be outside, but in Colorado it's always nice to be outside. I've been to outdoor concerts there every month of the year, but there's no way that you could do that in KC.

[onthemark]

LMF, so true! In the Midwest you basically have mid April to mid May and then mid September to mid October for pleasant weather. Other than that it is too damn hot or too damn cold!

[Kurt]

LMF, I've been snow skiing at Keystone and Copper in Summit County in December 1992 and it was very cold. I remember that it got to 15-20 below zero at night.During the day it was still so cold that it hurt any skin not covered up. I've been to Breckenridge in January 1999 and it was 5-10 below zero in the morning and got to be 15-20 degrees for a high. Been to Winter Park and arrived before sunrise and it was 10 below zero.

It can get very cold in the mountains during the coldest months.

[LiveMusicFan]

I worked a full season as a lift operator at Arapahoe Basin. I know how cold Colorado gets, and it's nowhere near as cold as KC gets. December and January get kinda cold in the mountains, but they've still got outdoor concerts at ski areas during those months.

[Adidas Porsche Design]

this is beautiful! You do always catch the spirit of adventure.

[Adidas Porsche Design]

Sounds like a blast! Thanks for sharing your experience!