I was honestly nervous when I got to the Met Cafe on Sunday. NRBQ was one of my all-time favorite live bands. My misspent youth was made up of many drunken nights spent laughing and singing along at NRBQ shows. Looking back, those were some of the best times I ever had.
It would have been hugely disillusioning if the new line-up couldn't live up to the legacy. Well, it took them about 4 notes before all my worries were put to rest. THEY SOUND LIKE NRBQ!!!
This line-up is fantastic. The kid on guitar, Scott Ligon - he sings like Joey and plays like Al! Casey the bass player was a bit more anonymous, but solid as hell. And it goes without saying that picking up Bobby Lloyd Hicks from the Skeltons was a genius move. He has the same touch and swing as Tommy had. Terry looked like a proud papa, prowling the stage and waving at the crowd.
Highlights - just about everything. It was the usual mishmash, no set list. One cute bit was the 4 of them playing Xmas carols on bells for the start of the 1st encore. Lots of laughs, lots of audience singing, lots of fun. They played a solid 2 hours that felt like 20 minutes. They even had Whole Wheat Horns for this gig!
I am SO glad I went. We got the Dictators back in 2012, we get NRBQ back in 2013? This decade is shaping up nicely!!
-- (Guest contributor) Salvatore
