Really Got Me

When Ray Davies sang "Where Have all the Good Times Gone" on Saturday night at the Tower, I wanted to repond, "They're right here, Ray." As the front man and - let's face it - genius behind The Kinks, Davies made greater contributions to the music world than he's given credit for.

Sadly, although The Kinks are one of the few great classic rock bands with all members still living, they have sadly been unable to reconcile their differences to reunite the band. Davies's brother is a fellow bandmate and even they won't play together (Ray's brother still refers to him as "asshole"). Barring a reunion, however, Davies solo is the next best thing.

Ray Davies was the most down-to-earth rock legend I've seen. He was incredibly gracious. He thanked his band endlessly (the guitarist of which was fabulous), and had an entirely manageable ego-level. Davies stopped to talk to members of the audience and even took requests. He's also in amazing shape for a 63-year-old. Unlike other aging rockers whose fondness for heroine has ravaged their bodies (*cough* Mick), Davies is fit as a fiddle. He danced, jumped, and kicked his way through the performance, and all with nary a wheeze.

The audience was loving Davies. At times, he would simply stop singing in the middle of a song and the entire theater would carry it. Davies did three encores! Even after the lights came on the audience wouldn't leave. My personal favorite was "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting." Let's hoping Davies won't before he returns to the Philadelphia area again.

In other news, Culture Vulture is hitting up another Film Festival selection this afternoon at the Ritz East. Expect a review of Mrs. Radcliff's Revolution, a film about an idealistic British family who defects to East Germany, shortly.