Slambovian Circus of Dreams ~ 2024 February 23 ~ Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, MA
Band Personnel: Joziah Longo, lead vocals, guitar; Tink Lloyd, accordion, sitar, flute, recorder, bell, vocals; Sharkey McEwen, guitar, mandolin, vocals; Matthew Abourezk, drums; R.J. McCarty, keyboard, banjo, vocals; Bob Torsello, bass, vocals.
Set List
Grand Slambovians - Lost Highway - Pluto's Plight - Look Around - A Very Unusual Head - Mandolin Wind {Rod Stewart} - Circus Of Dreams - Beez (I Know Where the Beez Have Gone) ... intermission ... Step Outta Time - Solve It All Dali - Never Fit - Folsom Prison Pinball intro / I Wish - Pushing Up Daisies - Tink (I Know It's You) - Trans-Slambovian BiPolar Express ... encore ... Golden Slumbers intro / The Invisible
Scroll to below videos for a review of the show.
Videos
A Very Unusual Head
Circus Of Dreams
Review
Joziah and the band chose an especially good set list this evening, pulling out some favored chestnuts that we hadn't heard in a good long while, such as "Lost Highway," "I Wish," and "Circus of Dreams." Band personnel hasn't changed since our last Circus show, also at the Spire about a year and a half ago. Sharkey played slide mandolin on a song or two more than he usually does, and R.J., the long-haired keyboard dude, picked up a banjo on two songs. Tink actually "only" played five instruments, including a bell, if I counted right. It was a very nice balance of higher energy Circus songs with ballads, older tunes with newer tunes, and a breathtakingly lovely cover (Rod Stewart's "Mandolin Wind," on which only guitar accompaniment was used).
The Spire is an exceptionally good place to see a show. Good sound, comfortable seats, friendly helpful staff, a very good magazine with a good interview with Joziah and Tink, exciting light show that adds dynamics to the attempts to capture photos. The only drawback is there is no dedicated parking lot, so for a soldout show on a rainy weekend night, it becomes extremely important to get there early.
As much as I'm a rock 'n roller at heart, I'm not sure that the band needs this much sound. Having a keyboard in addition to (and sometimes drowning out) Tink's accordion is a layer of instrumentation that's not needed on most of the songs. There are really only a few Circus songs that require a keyboard. As for the drumming, the band has had three regular drummers (and at least one fill-in) since original drummer Tony left the band in 2012, and they have each brought their particular sound to the drum kit; I personally miss the stylish drumming of Felipe Torres who was there from 2016 through 2019, and am not sure that the current dude behind the drum kit isn't drawing a bit too much attention to the drums. Don't let what might be a couple of minor quibbles stop you from catching a show by this group -- between the excellence of the songs themselves and the topnotch presentation from the core of Joziah, Tink, and Sharkey, a Circus concert remains one of the best and most underrated shows in town.
More Slambovians
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