Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 106 Location: Detroit, MI
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 1:29 pm Post subject: Detroit 11-22-2006
First, I want to start off by saying I am one of the most outspoken critics of the band and its management on this website forum. Second I would like to say I am going to put this to rest for good right here and now.
I ordered tickets for the Detroit show and the Meet and Greet at The State Theater in September the day they came out via The New Cars website. I had heard virtually nothing since then. I did call PAID Inc. the day of the show and was told the merchandise associated with the show was in the mail and to meet “Lilly” at the Theater will call at 4:15.
I arrived to The State Theater, at the prompt time to see about a dozen meet and greeters waiting around to get in. The State Theater is a beautiful Art Deco theater constructed in the 1920’s in the hey day of glamorous theaters. The theater is filled with ornate plaster carvings, and gold leaf painting. It is located in the Foxtown District of Detroit, 1000 feet from the new stadiums, Comerica Park and Ford Field where the Tigers and Lions play respectively. Anyways, all of us meet and greeters became quick friends and soon after Lilly came out and brought us into the building. She gave us a quick orientation and pulled out Federal Express envelopes and passed them out to the respective meet and greeters. We all promptly opened them to find TNC lanyards and tickets. To my surprise I was given front row center seats, right off the main aisle (so much for my bitching!) In fact all meet and greeters had seats in the front row. Next we passed through security and were led into the theater where the band had just begun their sound check. Lilly sat us on the mezzanine in front of the bar where we had a great view. We were treated to great versions of “More” and “It’s All Mixed Up”. I have to say I was pleased that Kaz had agreed to play the concert, as he even sounded great at the sound check. After the sound check Lilly played a few trivia games and gave out a lot of TNC swag (can you tell me Prairie Prince’s given name?). Everybody was really happy as we were led into a lobby area where a table was set up between four gorgeous marble roman columns for the actual meet and greet. The guys came in laughing and joking and sat down. We lined up and everybody had a chance to talk, laugh and get items signed by the band. I found them all very down to earth and easy to talk to. I first came to Greg and started talking to him and told him I seen The Cars in 1978 when they opened for Rainbow, which started Todd sitting next to him chuckling, he then launched into an impromptu acapella version of “Man on the Silver Mountain!” It brought a smile to everyone. I then told Todd I remembered him opening for Bob Seger and Bachman Turner Overdrive in 1975, which he began really laughing at. He felt better when I told him he redeemed himself on the 1977 Ra Tour (which launched Kaz). Prarie Prince was a gentleman, and Kaz I found to be very modest, I told him that Sue W. was a tremendous asset to him (he almost started blushing). I spent a few minutes talking to Elliot. I have to tell you he single handedly changed my opinion of TNC. I told him I was one the critics on the forum, which made him, respond a couple weeks ago as 57 Chevy. He was concerned enough to take the time to tell me about the behind the scenes process of dealing with the promoters who make and cancel the shows. He really wanted me to be satisfied about his answers and made sure I did not leave feeling that the he or the band didn’t care about its fans or would ever do anything intentionally, slimy to them.
The State Theater has a really nice bar and grill that was open after the meet and greet. All of us hung out there having a few cold ones, laughing, joking and telling music stories for an hour before the show. One guy told about seeing Ric Ocasek this summer in Boston, others are going to see more shows on the tour. It was a fantastic time. The staff was more than friendly and knowledgeable of Cars Music in general.
A half hour before show time the merchandise counter opened. By now the crowd had started to filter in. The counter was lined up with beautiful TNC merchandise that is not available anywhere but the tour. There were some very pretty pink ladies tops, white t-shirts with the tour stops on the back, a very impressive black TNC fleece jacket, black long sleeve t-shirts, coffee mugs, pins, and key chains, all at very reasonable prices. I purchased a fleece jacket for $40, a coffee mug for $15, a t-shirt for $20. The crowd was clustering around the counter 6 wide and 6 deep and doing a VERY good business.
It was time for the show to begin. There have been some negative reviews of Persephone’s Bees. Let me start by saying, anyone going to the show, give this band a chance please. They are a core band of 3 talented musicians along with a very capable female Russian lead singer, Angelina Moysov. The band is a neo-new wave act that is very entertaining. Moysov completely oozes sex appeal. Dressed in a long shirt, tights and high boots, reminiscent of early Deborah Harry, she had the guys screaming, “Give me your phone number” by the end of the set. They signed photos and CD’s after TNC and judging by the crowd around them they were an enormous hit in Detroit.
The theater did not sell tickets for the balcony, but looked like it was full other than that by the time TNC came out for the show. Unlike reviews of other shows, the sound mix at The State Theater was excellent. The harmonies could be heard tight, Greg Hawke’s synthesizer riffs were right out of a recording studio, the rhythm section of Kaz and Prarie could drive the nails right out of a wall, best of all the guitars rocked! The set was very well planned and ebbed and flowed like a played performance should. Kaz sounded great, his vocals were in fine form, Prarie was flawless as usual, and Greg was as good as ever. Todd was an incredible showman as always. In fact, even more so than I had ever seen. He was doing jumps, 360’s and wind milling his guitar. It goes without saying but I will say it anyways, there would be no New Cars without Todd. With that being said the night belonged to Elliot Easton. I have seen The Cars before and he was always good, but last night he was totally incredible. He looked like he was born onstage. Ever note was played with such passion and craft. He played the crowd and his skills spoke for themselves. He had an extended solo on Bye Bye Love that was really amazing. I have to give up for Todd as well who is a very gifted guitarist in his own right and was only to happy to play a subordinated role, which laid a foundation for Elliot to soar and look like a superstar. By the end of the set Elliot and the band worked the crowd was into an absolute frenzy!
Anybody who gets a chance must see TNC. Do not hesitate to get the tickets or the meet & greet from this website. It is well worth the $$$ for the package.
In conclusion, I would like to thank TNC and all involved for the night of my life!
Joined: 14 Jun 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Livonia, MI
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject:
What a show!! That was quite a review and accurate. I was unable to make it to the Meet and Greet, however I was able to meet up with Prairie in his dressing room before the show. Prairie's given name is Charles Lenprere Prince Jr. He invited me and my wife up to chat about our drums. I own a drum set that he did the art work on. He gave us a good half hour talk, discussing his work with The Tubes, Todd, Jefferson Startship and even about him doing work with George Harrison. He was a pleasure to talk to!
After 20 minutes(he actually gave us 1/2 hour) Kasim walked in. He felt like he was interupting but he introduced himself and joked with us for a few minutes. All I can say about him was "WHAT CHARISMA"!! Really wish I had more time to talk with him.
Prairie invited us up for after the show. However, Todd and him were heading up to Howell Michigan to meet some friends and stay for Thanksgiving, so we didn't push to try and meet the rest of the band. Next time for sure.
Joined: 22 Sep 2006 Posts: 4 Location: Rochester Hills, MI
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 3:23 pm Post subject:
I was also at the show last night. The set list was the same as the previous shows. The show was fantastic. The band brought new life to the Cars classics as well as the Todd songs in the setlist. My wife, who only came because of me, had a great time and was very glad she joined me. Persephone’s Bees was a pleasant surprise to me. Their music sounds much better live than on their CD. Angelina Moysov even came out and danced in the front row during the New Cars encore. As a lifelong Cars fan, this was the best live presentation of Cars music I have seen. I definitely hope this band continues to create new music after this tour over the coming years. Thank you for a great night!
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 5:30 pm Post subject: Detroit
I saw this band this summer in Ohio and the show last night was 10 times better~the boys have been practicing! They really need to put out a cd that reflects how good they are. I never knew the Cars as a guitar band but EE's performance last night was 99% as good as Todd's. I loved the wind effect on PP's hair, Greg is just adorable what can you say, and Kasim was his usual charming self flicking picks to his adoring female fans. Todd was giving this show his all. I feel sorry for anyone who misses this tour thinking this is just some lame band, it is far from that. My son who is hard to impress loved this band and was esp. taken by Greg's robotic movements. Bob had seen the Cars and thought they weren't good in person but really dug this band. P Bee's was a great choice for opener, enjoyed them more than Blondie this past summer. Great night left us wanting "More"........
Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:47 am Post subject: Better
Yeah this isn't the Cars, this is the Cars on steroids, this band rocks! They know more than 45 mintues of songs too! They move, the are Alive! It's Alive!
Just wanted to echo what was said here. They were no less than amazing. My wife, too, only went because I was basically dragging her to it. I told her we didn't have to stay for the encores, but when the time came she insisted we stay for all of it. Not only was she having a great time, but I think she developed a crush on Kasim. We were in the second row so it just took one incident of eye contact. Heh! Getting to see Elliott and Greg so up close was just too cool for words. Absolutely EVERYONE was having a great time dancing, clapping, singing, and cheering. The people watching was another 10% of the entertainment! I'm sure everyone else noticed that guy who was trying to touch Todd during his Black Maria guitar solo. The nice lady who gave todd a Hawaiian lei during Bang on the Drum, and this really weird due who would take a sip from his water and then dump the rest on the floor (not sure how he escaped being thrown out). And how cool was that with their ukeleles? I love Ric, but he NEVER would've gone for the ukelele schtick. As much much as I enjoyed their 84 Heartbeat City tour, this had a much more fun vibe to it. Kasim did great on bass, and performed "Drive" admirably. It's pretty much impossible not to think of Ben when you hear it though. Personally, I think he would've been all over this reunion tour and would've cut really loose on stage. Too bad we'll never know.
Oh, and I thought Persephone's Bees was fantastic! She seemed very personable too, signing autographs in the lobby and dancing at the front during the encore.
Great time everyone! I hope they tour again because I wouldn't hesitate to go.
Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 62 Location: Grand Haven ,MI.
Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:09 pm Post subject:
Michelle thank you for so many lovely pics of the back of my bald head you don't mind if I get one framed do you? All joking aside I have to agree with every review of the Detroit show so far. For those of you at the meet &greet I am the guy with the "Andre Agassi Scruff" going on with TNC"S fleece. Great fans, great show, great theatre, great city, great night AWESOME BAND. Hey the girls aren't the only ones who got guitar picks, Todd hit me right in the head with his last one ( nice pick with his signature on it ) . That Kasim sure knows how to work the girls though ( my sister in-law and her sister ) we were the first six seats from Todd to Kaz and it's a night we will all remember. LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!
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Next time for sure.
