Robby Krieger Live

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

feel free to add any concert reviews from any period of Robby's solo work here......don't put 21st century dork reviews here as I will just delete them.....





ROBBY KRIEGER
Live
North Star Bar, Philadelphia, PA 2000

Infamous Doors guitarist Robby Krieger has been busy this year. At 54 he is playing with everyone from Creed (Woodstock) to Stone Temple Pilots (L.A.’s House of Blues). He recently received the very first Billboard Top Ten award ever presented to an artist for the song, Light My Fire, which was Elektra Records’ first #1 hit. And, more than three decades after they made it popular, Krieger joined Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek at the Whiskey on L.A.’s Sunset Strip for a Riders On The Storm jam.
This year also saw the release of the Doors’ seven-CD box set on Elektra featuring remastered CDs of their six albums plus a bonus disc of rare and unreleased material. To top it off, Krieger is currently doing a national club tour in support of the diversified Cinematix, his first solo album in five years.

Though he is an accomplished guitarist in a variety of styles, Krieger loves the blues and his set at the North Star bar was full of ‘em. Surrounded by a white-hot band including Berry Oakley Jr. (son of famed Allman Brother bassist) on bass and his own son, Waylon Krieger, on guitar, the Doors man flew through Backdoor Man, Whiskey Bar, and Little Red Rooster. Samplings from his new disc included Snake Oil and the awesome Idolatry, which were injected into the set to reveal how well his band can handle any style.

Tastefully interspersed were the legendary Doors songs, L.A. Woman, Love Me Two Times, Love Her Madly, Break On Through, and People Are Strange, as well a the occasional Allman Brother tune. Krieger and his son exchanged some very impressive dueling guitar bits as well as a signature bass solo by Oakley. For the most part Krieger handled the vocals. But during Roadhouse Blues, a look-a like, sound-a-like Jim Morrison (contest winner) slid on a pair of leather pants and led the near-hysterical crowd for a stomp through the radio classic.

Well over two hours into the set, the passion in the room bust into flames when several, eager to be noticed, female fans dropped their tops and lifted their skirts (no knickers) and fanned the stage to the slight embarrassment of the band. The encores rolled out a best of 60s jukebox with the Hendrix monster Wild Child, a full 20-minute Riders On The Storm, which had each band member taking a lengthy solo, a blistering Light My Fire, and a poignant The End.
The Cutting Edge

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

The Robby Krieger Band
at the Brandyhouse
Atlanta, GA Dec. 1, 2001


By Art Howard

"When you see the guy, you understand why he's a legend," one man told me.

"It was way better than anyone had any right to expect," another said.

On these recommendations, and my own curiosity, I went to see The Robby Krieger Band. The Krieger name should be immediately recognized by fans of The Doors, and really, most anyone who's listened to rock n' roll. While singer Jim Morrison danced and violently threw himself around the stage, guitarist Krieger circled around and around like a contemplative goldfish. Doors drummer John Densmore says he once asked Krieger what he thought about while soloing, and Krieger said his fish, so maybe that's why he emulated them.

I expected Robby Krieger to play the old Doors tunes by rote, exactly as they are on the CDs we have at home, and with a backing band that would be just competent enough to get the job done and nothing more. Wrong. Though the show was 95% Doors material, he played some new fusion-style stuff that actually surpassed his Doors output, and the band inserted big jams into most every song, with all sorts of fresh, dynamic new parts that aren't on any of the old CDs. The backing band was much more than competent, they were very seasoned L.A. pros: Angelo Barbera on bass, Andrew Crosby on drums, Steve Bach on keyboards and Krieger's son Waylon on guitar. Krieger sang some of the songs, his son sang others, and Barbera handled one. Barbera and Crosby did especially fiery funk solos in "Light My Fire," which also had a little techno piece inserted!

Just as the acquaintance had said, watching The Robby Krieger Band, you really understood why he is a legend. The currently-circulated myth that The Doors was Jim Morrison and some faceless backup guys is exactly that, a myth. Yes, Morrison had the looks and the way with the audience, but it was Krieger who wrote a lot of the hits, and it was the other three Doors who would jam the audience into a euphoria while Morrison took a back seat. Watching Krieger's current band I could imagine how powerful of an experience it must have been to see a Doors show.

But what proves Krieger worthy of legendary status is that he isn't resting on his legendary status. Consider that most current jam bands are guys in their 20's with something to prove. Krieger is a guy in his 50's who proved himself to the maximum years ago, but he's still out there putting on a show that keeps pace with the young guys just because he loves playing. And his guitar playing now is way beyond what it was when the Doors were at their zenith; he played a long flamenco intro to "Spanish Caravan" that was mesmerizing (when the whole band kicked in, it was one of the most amazing things I've ever heard). He isn't reverential towards his own legacy, i.e. inserting the funk and techno parts into "Light My Fire." What's more, he doesn't just write a bunch of "Light My Fire" retreads, he's branched out. He played a new fusion composition reminiscent of Allan Holdsworth that was actually better than any of the Doors material. It would have been nice if he had done more of that, but I guess most of the audience expects to hear Doors hits.

I always wonder if these forefathers of today's scene, like Robby Krieger, are aware that there's a new underground out here that would welcome them back, and wouldn't even penalize them if they wanted to play new material? I heard an interview with Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead where he said he had heard the term "jam band," but had no idea what it was. A call to promoters and booking agents: do it like Bill Graham did at the Fillmore, and book a guy like Robby Krieger alongside some of these new bands, so that the young people learn where it came from, and these groundbreakers know they're still loved.

2001 Art Howard

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

Check here to see RKB live on Santa Monica Pier performing Snake Oil and being joined by John for LMF.

www.robbykrieger.com/tv.htm

[TheWallsScreamedPoetry]

ROBBY KRIEGER BAND
Wetlands, NYC May 15, 2000

When should a rock legend hang it up? When they record for little-known indie labels? When arena headliners do pub tours? The answer: neither. The only time someone should call it a day is when they've lost their chops. For Robby Krieger, who combined jazz and rock to create a dangerous new sound in the hippie-dominated 60s rock scene, that time hasn't come. As a guitarist, he's as good a player as he ever was back in the days of the Doors. In fact, he's added a number of tricks, from sources as diverse as funk and surf music.
Don't believe it? Instead of kicking off the show with the expected Doors tunes, he began with a searing cover of Dick Dale's surf classic 'Miserlou.' Not that he was out to disappoint fans: the surprise trip to the beach ended there. The rest of the night was dominated by songs from the Doors' repertoire, with some instrumentals thrown in, and the Allman Brothers' 'One Way Out' sung by bassist Berry Oakley Jr. (son of the late Allmans bass player). Unfortunately, Krieger's voice is as monotone as they come, and he lacks the charisma of his former frontman Mr. Morrison. Ultimately, though, that hardly mattered: as one enthusiastic fan was heard to say, "He was in The Doors, dude, and he's playing here, for us!"
Predictably, the Doors songs went over like the Second Coming of Morrison, and, happily, the crowd treated Krieger's (much) lesser-known solo instrumental material with due respect, much to the guitarist's delight.
It's nice to know that someone like Krieger, who was one of the more experimental six-stringers on the rock scene decades ago, is still developing as a player. And if that's not good enough for you, he'll play you a Doors tune.

Set-length: One hour, 45 minutes
Set-list: Miserlou / Touch Me / The Alley / Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) / Back Door Man / Five to One / Riders On The Storm / Moonlight Drive / Wild Child / Revelation / Wishful Sinful / Snake Oil / Spanish Caravan / Peace Frog / One Way Out / L.A. Woman
Encore: Red Alert / Freedom Jazz Dance / Love Her Madly

by Brian Ives
from CLASSIC ROCK Magazine
August 2000

[lovingrobby1967]

I would really love to see Robby....

[ensenada]

i have seen him play with D21C and he is very good, even now!