The drummer, Joe Travers, is the vaultmeister, the person in charge of curating and catalogizing Frank's incredibly expensive Vault of his complete recording. As such, he is the main person discovering and putting material together for the still forthcoming Frank Zappa record releases (by now over 218 albums, including almost 20 Box sets of unreleased material). As for being emotional, keeping his father's music alive, there are a few live Videos of Dweezil playing Frank's 'Swan song' WATERMELON IN EASTER HAY live, while tears are streaming down his face.
Sheila Gonzales is amazing. There's a point in this concert where she's improvising on saxophone over a completely unhinged groove, and starts accompanying herself on the keys at the same time - harmonising with what she's playing on the sax (one-handed). Just crazy good. Joe Travers on drums is outrageously good, Billy Hulting on tuned and untuned percussion also slays it (and he even sings on I'm the Slime). Pete Griffin (I bet he just loves Family Guy) on bass... kills it too. Napoleon is mesmerising as a lead singer (and saxophonist). And Aaron Arntz (keys) and Jamie Kime (guitars) get on with filling in all the eyebrows without missing a note, and with total flair.
Frank's music sounds so much more impressive live, and after he died I never thought I could experience it that way again, but then Dweezil arrived. I saw a few 'cover' bands before Dweezil, but they were just OK, they were not really that good. Dweezil, on the other hand, found some really good musicians and they brought back the feeling that music gives you when it is played live. At first Dweezil just played it the way it was recorded, solos included, but he evolved over time. This solo was all Dweezil, nothing like the Frank solos, but he has learned to capture the same flavor. He does his father proud, and I know Frank was proud of his boy. In 1988, when Dweezil was just 19, he toured with his dad, doing some solos in each show. I saw one of them, and I watched Frank while Dweezil played, the look on his face was pure pride.
That warms my heart to know how proud he was of him! I guess I was way off his age because I thought he was younger then me when frank passed. Whole time he toured with his dad! That is so damn cool. I know he's shining down happily on his boy.
As great as Dweezil's playing is here, he's gotten to be way better now! He never stops learning and practicing. I luckily got to spend a week with him and his band a few years ago...you can literally see and feel his commitment to his guitar playing and his band has got to be the most well rehearsed band I have ever experienced!
Man I saw Dweezil play in a small venue at The Granda on Lower Greenville Dallas, TX ... I left the show floating on air ...just trying to get my mind back....INCREDIBLE!
Saw Frank 3 times in my life (’75, ’81 and ’83) and Dweezil about a dozen times. His shows are amazing and “frankly” better than the FZ shows I saw, mostly because he (mostly) sticks to the music. Frank would f**** around on stage for half the show, doing skits and other tomfoolery. Also did 2 guitar master classes with Dweezil, mostly just to do it, I’m not a shredding lead guitar guy at all (acoustic rhythm mostly). Dweezil explained how he had to work just to lose his own guitar style so he could learn his dad’s style of playing. He played us a 10-12 bar lick from some song, and said it took him a few weeks just to learn that snippet of a song! Anyway, Dweezil is the nicest person on the planet. He will stay and talk to the audience and sign autographs as long as people are lined up at the edge of the stage. This is also not one of my fav FZ songs, but this version was astounding. First time I have heard it.
Franks Favorite Halloween Song. The original version on Zoot Allures, is Franks Wife on female vocals. Play the original loud enough, and your neighbors will think you have killed someone.
Frank had Eddie Van Halen come over to give Dweezil guitar lessons when Dweezil was 12. Watch Dweezil talk about it, and play "Eruption" on the video "Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa | Eddie Van Halen speech | Eruption | Raleigh 2012 ".
This is very similar to the live version on ‘you can’t do that live on stage anymore’. I bought a double cassette tape of this album, oh about 35 years ago 😮 The live versions are full on crazy soundstages
You want other recommendations from this concert, Lee? Where to start? Florentine Pogen, Inca Roads, The Black Page, Montana/Village of the Sun/Echidna's Art (Of You), Zombie Woof, Oh No/Son of Orange County/Trouble Every Day. And that's not half of the good stuff!
Great selection! Dweezil put a slew of equipment up for auction to fund the tour. I guess the torture really never stops for artists getting their art out.
What a killing and fu..ing cool performance of this song that I really like since his father played it. That`s insane that it sounds as good as his fathers song - He`s did a very-very great job and of course - the musicians in this group are so amazing and well playing - I feel like back in the 70s - thanks for sharing and best wishes @all from hamburg (germany)
@@L33Reacts 😆. This one is very different with a guitar battle between Vai and Dweezil and a drum battle between Bozzio and the other drummer whose name I can't think of.
Joe Travers on drums, Pete Griffin on Bass, Jaime Kime on second guitar, Shiela Gonzalez on reeds and keys..I can’t remember the percussionist’s and keyboard player’s names. Sorry guys. I’ll find them.
To my shame and bitter regret, I heard of Dweezil when he first started touring his dad's music, and dismissed it without even listening, because I thought he was just trying to make money out of his dad's name. About 2015 I found the DVD of this concert and realised I had missed probably the best possible representation of Frank's music there'd ever been - with Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steve Vai and Terry Bozio involved. I have the DVD and play it regularly, and love it, but each time kick myself too!
Great cover by Dweezle, Frank would be proud. The only other cover version of this I have heard is brilliant & by The F.O.S. Brothers. They say is is for Full Of Shit. They are fans of Frank.
Also not one of mine, although I quite like it. But this version lifts it higher than the studio version for sure. The DVD this is from is stunningly good.
