Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 5:44 pm Post subject: Robben @ Yokohama, Oct. 23rd
Trying to put a Robben Ford performance into words is kind of like trying to describe a beautiful sunset. You can list a bunch of superlatives, but words alone just can't do justice to experiencing it yourself. So rather than just rant and rave about how great Robben is, which we all already know, I'll try to describe some interesting aspects of the show. Notwithstanding the earthquakes which took place before, during and after.
First of all, it was a rather unusual performance in that Robben was using a different Dumble than usual, had new pickups in his Les Paul, new speakers in his cab, and was experimenting with different cables. Add to that the fact that the band was a bit different from his "norm", and you end up with an interesting evening.
According to Daved (who was as always a joy to talk to, and who spent far more time than he probably had to spare talking with me before and after the shows), Robben's usual Dumble was in need of some attention from Alexander, so in the interim, they put the chassis from Robben's combo amp into the head cab that he usually takes on the road. The substitute Dumble is a newer model with the two-color script-type font for the "by Dumble" logo. Although I had heard that amp sound quite bright in the past, at this show, it was very warm and fat sounding, possibly due to the new speakers. Also, although Robben hadn't been using the overdrive in his amp much recently, he used it a lot for these shows, along with the boost.
The guitars were the old standby Tele and the '99 Historic Les Paul. The Les Paul had a set of Gibson Burstbuckers (#1 and #3) that Robben is trying out. The BB's tend, to my ears, to be on the hot side and to have lots of top and bottom. I think they can tend to be boomy, which may account for the fact that Robben used the bridge pickup on the Les Paul the whole night. The only variation was to switch between single-coil and humbucking modes using a push/push switch installed on the neck pickup tone pot. Even on the bridge pickup the tone was very fat and not overly bright or harsh at all, which for the Burstbuckers leads me to believe that the new speakers were making things warmer than usual. Part of the reason for thinking that is that the Tele sounded warmer than I had heard it in the past. In fact, it sounded the best I had ever heard it. No harshness at all on the bridge pickup. Although I'm pretty much a Les Paul kind of guy myself, I almost preferred the sound of the Tele that night. It sounded that good!
The speakers that Robben was using were the Eminence Tonkers. Apparently he and Alexander Dumble had checked them out recently and both liked them (or at least thought that they show a lot of potential). So when the 65's in Robben's cab started showing signs of wearing out, Robben decided to go with the Tonkers for the shows in Japan. I found Robben's tone to be very much "Robben-like", which he can seem to do with just about anything, but there was a warmth to the tone that I hadn't heard before. As I said before, the Tele sounded amazing. Robben's only complaint seems to be that they are too efficient and unforgiving, and don't seem to add so much of that indefinable "harmonic richness" that so many of us seem to be constantly in search of. In fact, he felt that with those speakers, the purple Patch cable that he had been using to connect between his pedals and the amp actually sounded too good, so they replaced it with something else. To my tired old ears the speakers sounded very good though, and I am definitely interested in trying them out. The last word I had from Robben and Daved is that they will experiment some more, and possibly try some of the other Providence cables between the pedals and amp to see if they're a better match for those speakers. Robben also has a pair of Eminence speakers that are not yet in production, which he also likes. So there is obviously more testing to be done. We'll have to wait to see how that turns out.
The band lineup was Hilary Jones on drums, Dewayne Pate on bass and John Burr on keys. Hilary and Dewayne provided a good rhythm section for Robben, but it seems to me that Hilary is more of a straight ahead rock player, which while providing a solid background for Robben's playing, was lacking in that jazzy feel that Tom Brechtlein, for example, would provide. I got the feeling that Robben would have been more comfortable with someone like Tom. I did notice that there seemed to be some issue with timing, as at the beginning of each tune, Hilary would tap out time with her sticks and ask Robben if the speed was right. I noticed a lot of back and forth between them during the night. Not enough to be distracting, but it did make we wonder what issues there had been. Still, issues or not, the band was good and solid, if not necessarily all that tight, and the show was very enjoyable. The audience was clearly having a good time, the tunes were well chosen and had the audience singing along (although quietly), and Robben's playing, especially in the first set, was at times the best I had ever seen him live. Several of the guitar players in the audience I talked to after were amazed at some of the lines Robben played. And I have to say that after listening to him for so many years, he can still surprise me with things that I have never heard him do before. I have no idea where that stuff comes from, but it's that ability to draw new things up from a bottomless well of ideas, among other things, that set Robben apart from pretty much every other guitarist, or musician for that matter, on the planet. I promised not to toss out superlatives, but I just have to say it: Amazing!!
So that was the show. One of the most enjoyable for me yet. I have to say that Robben was kind enough to come out after the show to talk with me, and after being dragged away by the autograph seekers, he even came back, apologized for the interruption, and talked with us a while longer. And this was after a long day that involved having to get up early and traveling 2 hours to do a seminar, and then doing two shows that night. If there is a performer alive who is more of a gentleman, I have yet to meet him.
Oh yes, I almost forgot. Robben wore a pair of loose, satiny pants with zippers in weird places, a black, unbuttoned, long-sleeve shirt with with a couple of swirly patterns sewn in with white thread, and a black t-shirt or tank shirt underneath. His shoes were simple black boots.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 10:22 pm Post subject:
Bill,
Great review of what must have been an awesome show.
Your impressions on the band are interesting. Hil, Dewayne and occasionally, John R. have been doing most of Robben's gigs recently. I agree that Tom is truly one of the great drummers out there, and has a really special kind of loopy swing to his playing. Hilary has a more powerful, big on the one, kind of funk feel. Hey, she's from Baltimore where they specialize in that. Listen to Garth Webber's version of Little Red Rooster and hear Hil driving a ripping fast swing right down the tracks.
It was very interesting to hear Robben's impressions of the Tonker speakers. There is some subtle midrange magic to the C65's that nothing else seems to have, but on balance, the Tonkers have more attributes that work for me, and maybe for Robben. You mentioned warmth. It's taken six months for my first one to really open up and get some color, but even the new ones have a thickness that isn't overwhelming, but just fits with the guitar. Great to hear that the Tele sounded fuller and warmer. I may risk using mine next week (new club owner complaining about loud guitars last week and I didn't want to push it ) Might also put the Shark back in the tank and use the PW again.
Also interesting that Robben found them "unforgiving". I noticed this in a big way, but my chops aren't at a pro level, and Robben's are so way up there, I thought he would dig being able to wring more colors out of these speakers.
So, it was basically the same Blue Moon/Keep on Running material as other recent shows? Did you like the new take on Help The Poor? They keep playing with it to keep it interesting and it always sounds fresh. Any old songs yanked out of a hat? All these folks know all the old Barney Steels Robben tunes and plenty of others. I heard Chris Cain start playing Rush Hour in the middle of a tune once, and Dewayne jumped right in and knew the riffs down pat. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Thanks for a GREAT review Bill...sounds like you had a great evening.
Tonkers too unforgiving?! Strange to hear that from Robben. A player of his caliber. I guess he'll get used to them and prefer them to "normal" speakers since that "unforgiving-ness" can be a good thing. Depends how you use them. But of course, Robben use them with an already unforgiving amp. Can be too much of a good thing too. Haven't tried the Tonkers (yet!) but I've bugged Aeolian about them and a cab for it. We'll see what I end up with. Need a cab for my Skrydstrup amp.
Would the Govenors be less unforgiving for Robben? Any info on the unreleased Eminence speaker? I know Robben and Daved worked with Eminence a year ago to create a speaker to replace the 65. Is the Tonker the result of that work?
Less "harmonic richness" in the Tonkers. Most people say they are very fat. Maybe too fat and less sparkle which usually give it that richness.
Bill, I think Daved corrected himself and said it's a set of #2 and #3 Burstbuckers.
Bill, I think Daved corrected himself and said it's a set of #2 and #3 Burstbuckers.
Cheers
- Johan, Sweden
What he actually said was:
DAVED wrote:
Correction here... (sorry Bill, my mistake)... I just checked my notes again and that's actually a #3 in the bridge.
Since he didn't say anything about the neck, I assume that the neck stayed the same, i.e. #1. I could be wrong though. Daved, can you clarify that? Thanks.
Bill,
Great review of what must have been an awesome show.
Your impressions on the band are interesting. Hil, Dewayne and occasionally, John R. have been doing most of Robben's gigs recently. I agree that Tom is truly one of the great drummers out there, and has a really special kind of loopy swing to his playing. Hilary has a more powerful, big on the one, kind of funk feel. Hey, she's from Baltimore where they specialize in that. Listen to Garth Webber's version of Little Red Rooster and hear Hil driving a ripping fast swing right down the tracks.
I hope I didn't give the impression that I didn't like Hilary's playing. Quite the opposite in fact. I really enjoyed it, and thought that her and Dewayne provided a really solid platform for Robben to play over. But I did get the feeling, and it was only my feeling of course, that Robben would have been happier with a big more swing in the rhythm section. I could be wrong, and in fact I probably am, so please take all that with a grain of salt.
Quote:
Also interesting that Robben found them "unforgiving". I noticed this in a big way, but my chops aren't at a pro level, and Robben's are so way up there, I thought he would dig being able to wring more colors out of these speakers.
Keep in mind that in Robben's case, he has nothing to be forgiven for! I think he just found that where the 65's would give it up a bit more and add their own little bit of juice to the tone, the Tonkers are maybe a bit too true, without really giving it up like the 65's. That may be why Robben was using the overdrive so much that night. Although keep in mind that the amp was different too.
Quote:
So, it was basically the same Blue Moon/Keep on Running material as other recent shows? Did you like the new take on Help The Poor? They keep playing with it to keep it interesting and it always sounds fresh. Any old songs yanked out of a hat? All these folks know all the old Barney Steels Robben tunes and plenty of others. I heard Chris Cain start playing Rush Hour in the middle of a tune once, and Dewayne jumped right in and knew the riffs down pat.
Mostly stuff from past CD's. Kind of a cross section from the last 4 or 5 CD's I think. All great tunes. I think one of the guys I was with took notes, so I can probably post a set list or two later on. The new version of Help the Poor was great! I loved it. Gorgeous chord work from Robben. And the encore after the first set was Politician, on the Les Paul. That was killer!
Joined: 31 Aug 2004 Posts: 150 Location: Ibaraki, Japan
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 6:12 am Post subject:
Definitely a great review from Bill. I saw only the second show and really enjoyed it. I overheard someone say 'This is a killer set' (possibly Robben) and I couldn't have agreed more. It was a real crowd pleaser. Here are the tunes I remember:
Chevrolet
Prison Of Love
Nothing To Nobody
Cannonball Shuffle
Don't Deny Your Love
Homework
Help The Poor
Keep On Runnin'
It Don't Make Sense
Badge
Encore: Start It Up
I think I'm missing a couple and the order's a bit wrong.
Both the Les Paul and the Tele sounded great. Interestingly, Robben went back and forth between the two guitars the whole set, changing after each song without fail. I don't remember seeing him do this quite so regularly in the past. The extended solo in Nothing to Nobody was a standout for the Tele and Cannonball Shuffle was a LP highlight. It was obvious that, as the last show of the Japan tour, Robben was pushing himself to put on a great show. It always impresses me that he never plays it safe and always tries to find something new in these tunes.
The band was solid. I really enjoyed John Burr's playing, particularly his extended Wurlitzer piano solo on It Don't Make Sense. Does he always look so worried, though? DeWayne Pate was very solid and I really enjoyed his interplay with Robben. He was very supportive but not afraid to challenge the boss. He and Hilary Jones lock in well. Bill mentioned Hilary above and, after reading Aeolian's post, I wonder if she wasn't having a bit of an off night. She seemed a little heavier handed than I would have expected from hearing her on record.
Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 249 Location: the Netherlands
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 8:13 am Post subject:
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the great review. Now the discussion about the Tonkers and the Burstbuckers is becoming more real for me.
Did Robben and/or Daved spoke about touring or recording plans in the near futere?
Henk.
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 886 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:58 pm Post subject:
I do miss Tom, along with David Garabaldi, he's one of my favorite drummers, specifically for that loose but on feel he has. I've never heard anyone do the break in Tired Of Talking the way he does, and I've heard some great drummers do their take on it. On the other hand, Hil is more of a solid, muscular drummer. I would love to play with her someday, but I've played with her friend and Baltimore compatriot Bryant Mills on a number of occasions, and what might appear heavy handed from one perspective, is the most solid foundation you've ever felt under you while playing. It suddenly frees you up in a way you didn't realize before. With Robben, she is keeping it basic and trying to solidly serve the songs. Get her solo album Soaring (with Robben on it) to hear her blow. She is so professional. During the California tour earlier this year, you could tell she was sick as a dog, but kept giving it her all, never letting up. She also seems to be very conscientious about getting the songs right, so even after many gigs, she still checks tempos with Robben or Dewayne.
I also love how Dewayne can adapt his groove to different drummers. With Chris Cain, I've seen Dewayne playing with swinging Tyler Eng, and the driving Randy Hayes (Coco Montoya). I've played with Randy enough to recognize that some bass players will chase the way he pushes shuffles, but Dewayne keeps it solid and the whole effect is a great driving groove.
It's amazing how Robben seems to like a certain comfort factor of not having to fight with his rig to get those amazing sounds, but he's so willing to put himself out there with different stuff and see where it goes. Same with sidemen (sidepersons?). Robben continues to mix and match among his favorites and throw new folks in for spice. Every show is an adventure and he seems to get something new out of every experience, even if it seemed to be a struggle at moments.
And UncleSalty, yeah John R. usually has that expression on his face. Like the grimaces that Robben gets when he's into it, I think of it as involuntary. Most of us would probably be shocked to see the expressions on our faces when we play. Someone posted some pictures of recent European shows and Hilary wrote in to ask "do I really look like that?". Yep, and we love it. _________________ There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
My Stuff: www.stevekirbymusic.com
Joined: 19 Sep 2003 Posts: 646 Location: City of Trees, USA
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 3:03 pm Post subject:
Bill: Thanks for the great review! Hope you haven't been set back by the earthquakes. From over here, it sounds as if it's been tough on a lot of folks over in Japan.
Oh, but ... "zippers in weird places"? Well, maybe people do things differently over on the other side of the International Date Line. _________________ - BlueRunner
Both the Les Paul and the Tele sounded great. Interestingly, Robben went back and forth between the two guitars the whole set, changing after each song without fail.
He used the Tele more in the second set, and the Les Paul more in the first set. Interestingly, Daved put new strings on the Les Paul between sets, and the damn thing stayed in tune when Robben played it! I wouldn't dare to restring just before a set. I wonder if Robben's light touch is why he can do that and stay in tune.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the great review. Now the discussion about the Tonkers and the Burstbuckers is becoming more real for me.
Did Robben and/or Daved spoke about touring or recording plans in the near futere?
Henk.
Hi Henk,
Daved did say that it looks like they are pretty much done for this year. He did mention the possibility of Robben appearing with someone (he couldn't say who yet though) in the Northeast sometime this year, but other than that, I guess it will be next year. Sorry about that!
Bill: Thanks for the great review! Hope you haven't been set back by the earthquakes. From over here, it sounds as if it's been tough on a lot of folks over in Japan.
Oh, but ... "zippers in weird places"? Well, maybe people do things differently over on the other side of the International Date Line.
Thanks for the message and note of concern. My own family is ok, but a friend was just telling me this morning that his in-laws are living in their car now as they are afraid their house may come down at any time. Apparently it was hit quite hard and they are still getting pretty strong shocks up there (in the Niigata area of Japan). And this is after surviving two typhoons.
As far as the zippers go, I guess that must be California cool fashion. It takes that stuff about 10 years to catch on in Japan!
Joined: 29 Jan 2004 Posts: 1504 Location: Methuen, MA
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:53 am Post subject:
Bill Morgan wrote:
Daved did say that it looks like they are pretty much done for this year. He did mention the possibility of Robben appearing with someone (he couldn't say who yet though) in the Northeast sometime this year, but other than that, I guess it will be next year. Sorry about that!
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) Might also put the Shark back in the tank and use the PW again.
Bill: Thanks for the great review! Hope you haven't been set back by the earthquakes. From over here, it sounds as if it's been tough on a lot of folks over in Japan.
