Two musicians in forty years of concert going I’ve seen do this.
Marshall Crenshaw at the Bottom Line stood center stage during a weekend afternoon gig at the Bottom Line with a plugged in acoustic guitar and Jerry Lee Lewis at Tramps during the first of a two set set evening.
And Bryce Avaray in front of his keyboards during the encore last night at the Highline.
They tore up their set list, had the audience call out for songs and learnt em em on the fly.
I can’t remember the last time I was so awed: during a generous, thrilling hour and a half set that was simply one highlight after another, this was a breathtaking display of guts, charisma, self-confidence: some of the songs dated from the very begining of The Rocket Summer’s career : after a coupla of minutes of joking with the screaming fansAvary had worked out the chords for a song he mentions HE HAS NEVER PLAYED LIVE BEFOR, “I love the Japanese”. and I can’t stop smiling.
I got to Highline at 7pm to catch the opening acts, but somebody screwed up because Socratic had come and gone. I did see Lion Of Ido and I loved them. From completely over the edge power ballads to vaudeville dance numbers they do their best to get through and on a song like “Memories” (no not the Cats one) they merge Andrew Lloyd Webber with Dashboard Confidential and on “Everything Changes” the center of attention lead singer has ‘tude to burn and by the time Lion Of Ido reaches “Everything Changes” he has won f the audience and more than one of the (mostly young female) fans will be checking em out again.
Speaking of on the fly (and at the risk of repeating information posted by Helen and Mary elsewhere), with a week and a half to kill before The Rocket Summer join the Goo Goo Dolls tour in an opening slot, Bryce decided at the last minute to not return home to Dallas but add a coupla East Coast solo dates. This is the result. And from the first song, “Hills And Valleys” off the new album through two new hard rock numbers somewhere in the middle (“I need a break but I’ve just had a break through”?) all the way through to the penultimate number 2007’s “So Much Love”, Avary never falters for a moment. Bryce looks like a young Tom Petty and the band has the muscularity of a Heartbreakers with all the country influences removed.
Bryce, who at twenty-seven years old is in the midst of a long career, has all the professionalism and all the power necessary to carry an audience who just wanna scream on the path to musical ecstacy. Me? I could do without the crowd surfing, and sometimes the songs gives up melody for singalong hooks, and that’s the only thing wrong with this set. Hell, even the bass player is dancing along to the songs.
The set builds relentlessly from the newbie all the way back to 2005’s “Brat Pak” which has the entire audience singing along for, what, the third? fourth, fifth time. You can’t fake this stuff, you can’t fake the leaders intense connection with his fans and it is a wonderful to be a part of. The songs build from the DNA of keyboard chord blocks, puts a chorus in the middle and adds intensely emotional love as spiritual awakening, carnality as love of the soul, lyric and plays it with all the power and grace in the world.
It’s a great concept only it isn’t even a concept. It is a reflection of the artist as a young man and Bryce Avary’s superbly programmed, entirely pro, crowd pleasing, artistically vibrant live performance is instantly the one to beat in the world of rock. He is one hit song away from blowing up huge. Avary instantly becomes one of the great live performers of our time.
“I am yours do with me what you will” he sings. The feeling is mutual.