I saw Eric Burdon play in a casino in Tacoma, WA last night, which could be seen as a bit of an indignity for someone who was famous so long ago. He once walked with the giants, and now we have to walk through a mile’s worth of slot machines to see how he’s held up.
The answer is, extremely well. He calls his band the Animals–at least outside of Britain–although the original litter left the nest long ago. Recent versions of the Animals have included veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar and original Animals guitarist Hilton Valentine for credibility’s sake, but it’s hard to imagine a better group than this particular group of “ringers,” on this particular night.
An attempt at an in-depth interview was foiled by Burdon’s policy of not talking to journalists directly, rather he forces us to e-mail the questions and he sends the answers in due time. Or not. So instead of something really insightful, we end up with this.
In the meantime, there is a lot more to say about this guy, still one of the great rock shouters. I’ll get it posted here and elsewhere soon enough. In the meantime, if he plays anywhere near you, just go.
It will be worth it. If not for the sake of this short, indulgent review, but for the sake of your own peace of mind.
2 Responses to Eric Burdon kicks ass
Good for you, you got to hear Eric.
Don’t worry about the “indignity” of the slot machines — unlike many of his contemporaries on the pop charts decades ago, Eric has been a working musician his whole adult life, and, in my opinion, that’s a lot more dignified than selling your greatest hits as jingles for commercials and NOT playing out anywhere.
I hope I get to hear him again soon.
Robin
p.s. I’ll be looking for your interview from the vantage point of my San Francisco hilltop for the sake of my own peace of mind.
Charlie, thanks for your posting and linked article about Eric Burdon. The Animals have been my favorite band since 1964, so I’m always interested to hear about Eric’s doings and performances. Commenter Robin is right on target that Eric’s been a “working musician” forever, much like the old bluesmen he idolized in his youth, and he’s given a great performance whenever I’ve caught him live, no matter the venue.
These have included such unlikely showplaces as Eric second-billed to Wishbone Ash(!) in 1975, and as part of the oldies package at the “Taste of Blue Ash” summer festival in a toney Cincinnati suburb in 1994. On the latter occasion, Eric immediately challenged the affluent suburbanites watching him, “Throw your television sets out the window!”, and then delivered a searing selection of his songs, backed by a band headed by Brian Auger on keyboards. I most recently caught Burdon and his Animals of that season (including original guitarist Hilton Valentine, no less) when they headlined the “Hippiefest” package tour in the summer of 2008. The support acts were good, especially Jack Bruce, but Eric’s phenomenal energy made his group the hit of the evening.
Then, in a classically Burdonian move, Eric dismissed that whole band a few months later. Eric’s relentless reinventions of himself, accompanied by his terminal binge-purge syndrome regarding band members, have likely prevented him from achieving massive popular success since 1970, but in these upheavals, he always seems to be obeying some inner soul that keeps his performances forever intense and real.
The thing that scares me about Eric now, Charlie, is that he’s “one of us,” i.e., he became an American citizen a few years ago, after worshipping the best myths of our country ever since he was a teen. He’s an American and he votes, thankfully liberal, no doubt. Your report has me eager that Eric Burdon will play one of the Indiana casinos near me sometime soon. Heavens above, I’m on a street called love when it comes to this guy!