Gary Puckett at the “Giant Jukebox,” Tarrytown Music Hall performing for Westco Productions, singing Woman, Woman taking the 50-and-Uppies back into time — and sounding better than ever.
“The Men in White”: The Association making their “boss” individual solo introductions of their big rock and roll band. They knocked out a rockin medley in the nightcap that made my life flash before my eyes.
Mr. Puckett was personable, at ease and easy-going, and must have felt right at home in the sound enhancing old jukebox of the Music Hall. He shared memories in between songs, of sharing studios at Columbia Records with Janis Joplin, Paul Revere and the Raiders on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in the 60s. He reminisced about his start, how he put together his military tunic uniform in Tijuana, Mexico.
His band of keyboardist, drummer and lead guitarist laid down a robust bed for Puckett’s lusty voice on Over You, and This Girl is a Woman Now.
Slipping into a somber mood he revived “Let’s Get Together Now” and staying in that mood, he did a very classy thing:
He asked all veterans of military service to stand up so the audience could recognize them. This was a meaningful moment with many vets standing in the lower orchestra section, while the audience applauded them, with Mr. Puckett then recognizing their sacrifice with a poignant, meaningful ballad, Back Home.
His show took off when he started snapping fingers and singing “dom da da da, dom da da da…hurt hurt” and to the audience’s delight, launched into Runaround Sue. The audience up onto a new level when Mr. Puckett sequed into Pretty Woman with masterful base guitar interplay. We were all shifting our shoulders and clapping our hands on this baby.
Gary Puckett and his sidemen slung their guitars aside gathered to stage right, and snapping their fingers revived the old Steam hit, Kiss Him Goodbye in a cappella style – they out do-wopped Bowser and Sha Na Na.
Snapping their fingers and shifting their feet, Gary and his boys just charmed the audience — just like the street corner doo wop boys. I asked Mr. Puckett afterwards if he was a White Sox fan, “Sha Na Na, Hey Hey, Kiss Him Goodbye” was sung after every White Sox victory in old Comiskey Park in the 1970s – but Gary said he and the boys just wanted to do the song that way. Give us more doo wop, please, boys! It was the highlight followed by his signature finale, Young Girl
Puckett and the gang bring the audience into a warm finale on Young Girl
Mr. Puckett still has the lusty voice that made his sound so unique: an overwhelming sexuality to it that still I imagine excites the female listener and observer. He is backed by a drummer that drives the music and gives a new more danceable, driving rhythm to the original Puckett anthems when they were more studio-orchestrated. Now the Puckett signature songs are clean, crisp, thundering “driving rockers” Mr. Puckett shared how he started rehearsing in his garage at 17. Last night he had a great big cavernous garage to work with and the vibes were everywhere!
Saturday night the Tarrytown Music Hall was one giant garage the place energized by the rockers that won’t stop a-rockin and they rock better every day. Even intermission was exciting.
At intermission, the Puckett equipment was moved off and the audience that hung out in their seats got to watch “ The Men in White” – The Association the 6-man rock band set up their equipment. Twanging, tweaking volume pods, mixing sounds, adjusting. It was cool. It was a slow build-up of anticipation watching this legendary band get ready.
After a half hour of tinkering and adjusting (this had great cache and fascination) – they were ready…and the first song of course was “Windy” – my favorite because it reminded me of an old crush – (Jeanne Fernandez where are you today?)
Well this started out a string of songs, and inbetween, banter and liquid free-flowing, loud rockin that entertained with (as they used to say on 77 WABC when it was MusicRadio), one great hit after another, and one great joke after another. A sample joke, introducing Walk Away Renee, and I paraphrase here: “This song represented some of the feel of the 60s, that if you loved a person, you’ll let them go, and if they didn’t love you, you’d go out and kill em.”
Another great joke was delivered before Along Comes Mary. The lead pointed out that this, their first hit had a hard time getting play on the radio because of its controversial lyrics, then dead-panned: “Have you heard the crap that’s on the air today?”
This was met with high amusement and applause – then into Along Comes Mary they went. Such is the instrumentation intensity of these men that again the same old songs are new again – fresh, “open house, frat party loud” that showcase the dancing keyboardist, the maniac pounding skins, and the elegant bass and lead guitarists. Inbetween the rockers, were tributes to the New Christy Minstrels (Green,Green), the Mamas and the Papas(California Dreamin).
The Greatest Medley of them all ended The Association Set.
The Association just kept playing higher and higher cruising into an endless medley to end all medleys, where the 60s hits kept on coming: Heard It Through the Grapevine, My Girl The Weight, Bad Moon Rising, Joy to the World, Same Old Song – and that wasn’t all of them — it was like a fraternity open house where you just kept on dancin! The lid on the old Music Hall was lifting. “The Men in White” ended with their signature song, Windy playing after an hour straight.
The old songs sounded better than ever. The Association’s riffs were snappy. They laid their baselines with gusto that got into your body, the beat got into your soul, and you felt young again! Everyone had a great time and the good times rolled once more.
But I do not do these songs justice. As I was walking out with the friends we went with, we were discussing how good these songs made us feel – because they captured times and feelings that all experience in one’s life and articulate real feelings right on. You feel them again with fondness, bittersweetness and wistfulness.
The songs of the 60s and early 70s were like a soundtrack to the events of those years that recreates them . They are living history.
Gary Puckett hung out for The Association set and signed autographs and chatted with fans after the show — one of the unique features about attending a Westco Gold Star Concert! You get to meet the legends.
Candyce Corcoran, the prominent White Plains personality with Mr. Puckett. Also seen at the old Victorian Victrola Tarrytown Music Hall of memories were Serena and Jim Russell, and Melody and Councilman Glenn Hockley of White Plains.
Susan Katz and Peter Katz have staged two previous successful rock n roll double concerts and Gary Puckett and The Association was the best yet. The Gold Star Concerts are Westchester’s Best Rock! The First Lady of Westchester Theatre and the “Phantom of Westco,” Peter Katz celebrate another successful Katz & Katz Hit.
Coming up on the Westco Productions Katz Memory Machine will be The New Christy Minstrels March 15, 2008 at Irvington Town Hall Theater; The Lettermen also at Irvington on April 5, and Felix Caviliere’s Rascals on May 3 – and just booked – The Fifth Dimension. Go to www.westcoproductions.org for more
What becomes a rock legend most? White patent leather shoes on a member of The Association. Rock N Roll Is Here to Stay in Westchester County — 50 years and still Rockin
