My mom told me that if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. Well, we all know I have a bigger mouth that that! BUT what if all you have is nice things to say? Does that mean you should keep talking? I will certainly be talking for quite some time about the Survivor concert at the Iowa State Fair last Sunday night!
I had never seen Survivor before. I've always been a fan of the music. I thought for a while there might be a chance that they would come to Iowa with Jimi Jamison on lead vocals, but he walked away and in my humble opinion, Survivor got an upgrade! Robin McAuley is an awesome singer that has recorded some great projects. I was first turned on to McAuley's voice through MSH. (Check out www.robinmcauley.com for his discography!) Hearing that Robin was now fronting Survivor made me even more anxious to see them.
With Survivor, it's all about the songs. There are dynamics that many bands refuse to get into unless they can play one way for an entire song. Survivor knows how to punctuate the lyrics with breaks, softer passages, and cranking things up to 11 when the song calls for it. The musicianship has to be at a much higher level for this type of music.
I was fortunate enough to be by the Anderson-Erickson stage at the Iowa State Fair when a yellow moving van backed in. I saw laminates dangling around the necks of the guys. From a distance, I could see the Survivor logo. I walked away for a while knowing I'd have to come back and talk to them after they got settled.
When we did come back to the stage area, I struck up conversation with one of the guys with the Survivor laminates. He was totally cool and gave me a Billy O. guitar pick and made sure I got a Frankie Sullivan pick, too. He told me that Survivor would be doing a meet and greet at 7:15pm with the show starting at 8pm. I gave him one of my cards and told him I do concert reviews and would love to get some good pictures to post.
My girls and I left the fair for a couple of hours to cool off and then returned in time to get them in line for their Corbin Bleu concert and me to the Survivor meet and greet.
When I got to the stage, I saw the guy I had talked to before and he pointed out the band milling around back stage. I got to meet Robin McAuley, Billy O., Chris Grove, and Marc Droubay. I even thought to get a quick picture with Marc before the show and had him sign my Vital Signs CD cover. He and Robin asked me to stop back again after the show. I wanted to make sure they got my card and that I knew where to send pictures.
I was introduced to Fred, the tour manager, and explained to him what I do and what I wanted to get pictures of. He was courteous and explained what would work best and how to approach the stage. He even had me come back during the show to make sure I got a good vantage point to get pictures of the crowd as the band played.
I wasn't quite prepared for what I was about to experience. The stage was set. The seats were filled. The hill area on both sides of the stage and behind the seating area was filled. It was packed! There were people of all ages ready to rock out with Survivor. Led Zeppelin's Rock N Roll filled the air and set the mood.
At the last strains of Led Zep, Survivor roared on stage to Burning Heart! Everyone left their seat and screamed in approval as Survivor kicked off this night in rocking fashion. What a way to open a show with everyone singing along. Next they reached into their past for Take You On A Saturday and followed it with Poor Man's Son before jumping into Summer Nights, all from the Premonition CD.
The crowd was on their feet throughout most of this show singing along to High On You, The Search Is Over, and I Can't Hold Back as well as the rest. There was rain that fell, but it certainly didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Robin commented that "A little rain never hurt anyone. You know what I think? I think we oughta huddle together! It's an idea! Maybe it would create an umbrella effect."
The band finished their set with I Can't Hold Back and the crowd would not sit down! The band left the stage and the people were yelling for more. This was a noisy bunch! It didn't take much for the band to realize that they needed to get back on stage and give the fans their best known hit. You could see everyone start to feel even more energy as Eye Of The Tiger began. You could tell that just about everyone there was having their "Rocky moment" hearing this song. The fans were not only on their feet, but up on the benches singing along and when the chorus came, they were louder than the band! Survivor was not only appreciated, but cheered and applauded as the rock stars they rightly are.
The band got to show off their instrumental prowess with solos and instrumental passages. Chris Grove got the first solo that lead into The Search Is Over. Very talented! As a band known for using keyboard prominently in their songs, this guy more than makes the grade in Survivor. Frankie Sullivan, guitarist extraordinaire, took a solo turn after that song while Marc rocked along with him. The two longest standing members of Survivor displayed a bit of a heavier side during this instrumental break.
Frankie Sullivan has got to be one of the most underrated guitar players I've ever seen! This guy is fantastic! He plays with skilled precision, but it's done with wild abandon. He bounds across the stage while playing intricate rhythms and leads. His sense of melody is uncanny! He walked off the stage front to mingle while playing. He talked to the crowd a couple of times between songs and really has a lot of personality that truly makes Survivor a band of musical brothers. I can't say enough great things about Frankie Sullivan, a true original. This guy is just awesome! Now I gotta dig out my old CD's and take a few more listens!
Chris and Frankie got to share some harmonies in a couple of passages through the set and it was great to hear how tight this band is musically.
Marc Droubay and Barry O. held down the rhythm section and gave the music an edge in this live setting. Marc has played these songs for years and still gives them everything he has. That man was working harder than anyone else on the stage in the Iowa heat. Swinging those hammers in the Iowa humidity could make the average man pass out. Marc did so with professionalism and just plain fun!
Billy O. was a prowler on stage. He worked every bit of the stage while playing and singing. When he wasn't behind the mic, he'd be seen singing at the front with the fans. It was hard to get pictures of this guy standing still! Heat be damned, he was having his 75 minutes of solid rock n roll fun!
The band is so tight musically and yet they run loose all over the stage! This is not a shoe-gazing band!
Led now by the incomparable Robin McAuley, Survivor is a well-oiled, but still unpredictable machine. Robin's voice soars to hit all the high notes and he infuses the lyrics with the same passion that the men who wrote the lyrics must've felt. Robin serenaded the ladies and even shared the mic and stage with a few. The women love this guy! Robin worked the crowd and the stage and made sure that everyone knew this show was about the fans and the music. Robin even sang to the little girls who came down front to see Survivor.
This show was incredible! The songs are timeless. The music is spot on. The band played with swagger and confidence. This is not your mother's band of balladeers!
I was fortunate enough to meet the band again after the show and get pictures and autographs. I mentioned to Robin that I'm hopeful that Survivor puts out new music with his voice. I'm anxious to see what he and Frankie come up with! He mentioned that they might throw in some of the work they did together on Robin's Business As Usual and even an MSG tune or two. I'm hoping that Survivor makes their way to Iowa again so I can check that out!
All of the guys were very kind. It was great to meet them all for the first time and get to tell them how much I enjoyed the show.
Survivor is a great rock band! You have to check out this show when they are in your area. My hope is that they are looking to the future and planning on creating more great music. Of course, the last I saw Frankie, he was wandering off looking for pizza...