Zappa Plays Zappa
Susan and I went up to Boca Raton last night to see Dweezil Zappa and his band of Zappa alumni and non-alumni play at the lovely Mizner Park Amphitheater. The gentleman next to us had flown in from Boston to see the set, having seen the group in July, and having been impressed enough to buy major plane fare to see the group again. Susan bought us the tickets, her desire being to see Peaches En Regalia played live, and it was. By the end of the show I was past astonished, and into disbelief, at how one could learn the amount and complexity of material that was presented, without any sheet music visible on the stage. Added to this was the discovery that Dweezil had learned guitar parts never intended for guitar, but mainly for keyboards or tuned percussion, and was playing them. A particular highlight of the show was “Montana”, not one of my favorites on record, but live, with Napolean Murphy Brock on vocals and shenanigans, it was remarkable. The band was as tight as Dick’s hatband, and included guest appearances by Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio. Dweezil was the hero of the performance, channeling his father’s guitar sounds, and perhaps bettering him in the chops department, playing things that even elicited a “well…that was impressive” from the often noodle-sensitive wife next to me.
Chick to Dude ration = 1-10. Reefer smell = often. Audience cell phone aloft = occasional. Standing ovation = frequent.
On the drive home a further examination of the idea: that even if I ever wanted to play like the musicians on that stage, I would not have been able to — not only the playing, but the attention required to navigate the parts. It is beyond me. A musician often holds out the last card of “well, I could do that if I wanted to”, and reaching the point of letting go of that, and saying, “no, I really couldn’t”, is tremendously liberating and also humbling, and allows an opening to the music not possible otherwise. The competition is over.