A celebration of 1970’s AOR (Album Oriented Rock) at The Plaza.
A double billing of Foghat and Cactus hit the stage in Orlando! Cactus took the stage first with Carmine Appice on drums and Tony Franklin on bass. Tony is a great bass player who I’ve collaborated with on songs in the past. With a long rich history Tony has played with Jimmy Page’s The Firm and the super group Blue Murder. And of course, Carmine is one of the renowned drummers in American history. Cactus formed in 1970 from the ashes of Vanilla Fudge by Carmine Appice and bass player Tim Bogert. The initial lineup also featured Jim McCarty on guitar and vocalist Rusty Day. Although Cactus saw success from the start, by 1973 the band ended with the formation of the supergroup with Jeff Beck; Beck, Bogert & Appice. Cactus put on a good show, but Appice and Franklin were the real attraction of the night. The singer pulled it off well, however the guitarist was quite inappropriate for this style of music with his nonsensical sweeping metal arpeggios throughout the songs. Carmine even did a solo which showed everyone he still has the chops and heavy rhythm that made him famous through the decades. Tony Franklin’s bass playing was great to hear live, he has such a natural fretless sound and really packs a punch when he plays with Carmine. This was especially true in the band Blue Murder led by former Whitesnake guitarist and vocalist John Sykes. They were a real powerhouse that kicked ass on their debut album in 1989 on Geffen Records.
Foghat took the stage after about a 30-minute standard equipment breakdown. The only surviving member of the original group is drummer Roger Earl who also showed he still has it! Then there is lead guitarist Bryan Bassett who started his career with the band Wild Cherry. You remember them back in the 70’s with “Play That Funky Music White Boy!” Bryan was a session guitarist for King Snake Studio and did a stint with the southern rock band Molly Hatchet.He also is the band’s producer and engineer for many of their recent albums. Scott Holt is the band’s front man and rhythm guitarist followed up by bassist Rodney O’Quinn replacing the late Craig MacGregor. O’Quinn also did a long tenure with Pat Travers. Unfortunately, the band was less impressive than the Carmine/Franklin experience. Foghat seemed more like a cover band than a featured national touring act. They played all the well-known songs adequately, but really lacked any kind of distinctive style or impression with their delivery. At moments they sounded very wedding band-ish with their tired rock licks and predicable progressions. However, they performed crowd pleasers like “Fool for the City”, “Slow Ride”, “I Just Want To Make Love To You” and “Drivin’ Wheel.” I think with the departure of Dave Peverett ("Lonesome Dave") and other original members the essence of the band and the energy was lost. The bands core releases in the 70’s were fun and energetic and had a real authentic vibe. All in all, if you are looking for a nostalgic night to take the grandkids or the wife to and reminisce about the “Good Ole’ Rock N Rock Days,” then this will suffice.
