Review: Chad Wackerman clinic/concert Palatine, IL - 10/27/04
I read online a few weeks ago that Chad Wackerman was going to be doing a drum clinic/concert in Palatine, IL with Allan Holdsworth on guitar, and Jimmy Johnson on bass. I couldn't believe it! Palatine (where I used to live) is only a few miles from me. I've only seen Holdsworth live once before. It was at the Roxy in Hollywood; either '92 or '93. Needless to say I was fired up.
The show was nothing short of awesome. Chad started out with a solo drum piece, then brought out Holdsworth and Johnson. The first band tune they did was "Proto-Cosmos" from the old Tony Williams "Believe It" album. I was pissing myself! I couldn't believe I was seeing these monster players right in my own backyard, so to speak. After the first band tune, Chad talked about composition for the drums, and other drumming topics. They then went back and forth between playing and discussion. Other pieces they played included "Water On the Brain", "Looking Glass", and one or two others. There was also a Q&A section. There were questions on Chad's time with Zappa, playing with dynamics, etc. Chad also played "The Black Page" after an audience member asked about it.
This was the first stop of a short 4-city clinic/concert tour of the midwest. The cool part about this gig, is it was only one of the 4 dates that also included a second set of tunes after a brief intermission. An extra 5 bucks got you into the second set. Sweet deal. The second set was great, and included some tunes I had never heard before. Way-cool stuff.
Overall it was an incredible night of awe-inspiring music. I decided not to bring a camera, since I figured they wouldn't be allowed. Then I get there, and there's tons of people with cameras, and they're taking pictures whenever they want! Doh! I did have my camera phone with me though. Here's one of the crappy pictures I took with it.
If anyone else reading this review was there, please post a comment with your thoughts.
