Review: Spinal Tap Unwigged & Unplugged

The night of the show, our limo was waiting at the radio station parking lot. It was a 1965 Cadillac Ambulance, all pearl blue metallic paint and shiny chrome accents. We had an excellent dinner with Dave and Tom and their significant others at the top of the Holiday Inn. The limo/ambulance ride to the theater took a bit longer than expected as Portland was in mid celebration of the Starlight Parade and a home Blazer’s playoff game. When we arrived at the auditorium, we were rushed backstage to meet with the band.

Unfortunately, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) couldn’t make it to the meet and greet as he needed some assistance getting into the spandex. We got autographs and exchanged small talk until show time. Then it was on stage for band introductions. Announced to the crowd as an emergency measure, the Emergency Percussion Unit was led from the top of the drum riser down to my velvet roped front row seat, with a clear path to the stage lined out on the floor in duct tape, just in case. It was a wonderful evening and I still have the autographed drum head, albeit without Nigel’s
signature.

Well, Spinal Tap is back! But not really. The three band mates (Guest/Tufnel, Michael McKean/David St. Hubbins and Harry Shearer/Derek Smalls) came to town as themselves with the Unwigged and Unplugged Tour. The move to shed their false identities opened up additional musical resources for them as they were not limited to Tap tunes. They also had music from the films Waiting For Guffman and A Mighty Wind that they could draw from. It made for an interesting and fun night.

There was no opening act to warm up the crowd, but that was fine, as the crowd was thin but full of dedicated fans. Starting off with Celtic Blues, an a capella number, U&U served notice that, while basically a comedy group, they were serious musicians first and foremost. The harmonies were as spot on as any doo-wop group from the fifties. From there they launched into the first Spinal Tap song to get the acoustic treatment, Hell Hole. On this one they stayed pretty close to the original song, power chords replaced by delicate finger picking on lead acoustic guitar from Guest. The three seemed to switch characters easily all night.

After Hell Hole, they pulled out Never Did No Wanderin, as the Folksmen (Guest/Alan Barrows, McKean/Jerry Palter, and Shearer/Mark (Marta) Shubb). Whereas most of the Folksmen songs held true to their origins, acoustic folk tunes with offbeat subject matter ala Corn Wine and Bulging River, some of the Spinal Tap tunes required major re-working to make the transition from hair metal to acoustic. Clam Caravan and Majesty of Rock, both pompous, progressive rock anthems toned down really well. Stonehenge, maybe not so much, even with a video of the miniature monument being lowered at the rear of the stage.

What really held the evening together musically was the fine quality of musicianship put forth by the trio. Guest/Tufnel/Barrows guitar work was crisp and emotional. McKean/St. Hubbins/Palter held down the middle with great rhythm guitar work and solid, clear vocals. But it was Shearer/Smalls/Shubb on bass that truly shined. His was a double edged attack of bottom end. Besides inspired fret work on the bass, he handled the lower range on vocals as well. The harmonies were crisp and together, standing out on Rainy Day Sun and Old Joe’s Place.

The band threw in some rarities as well. An unreleased “B” side, Cups & Cakes revisited the Folksmen when they were known as the Themesmen. There was one from the new Harry Shearer album, called All Backed Up, that the band really had fun on. There was even a cover version of the Stones classic, Start Me Up, virtually unrecognizable from the original.

Comedy was also at the fore front on this night. The trio took turns reading rules from a censor regarding the airing of This Is Spinal Tap on network T.V. The censor, one Bill Clotworthy (you can’t make this stuff up), detailed each transgression, demanding action. “At 43 minutes, deal with the cucumber/tinfoil incident”. “Nothing about Sex Farm Woman may be used on the air”. Recommendations like that.

All in all, from All The Way Home (Tap’s very first song) to the encore of A Mighty Wind, this was an enjoyable show. Musically intriguing as well as inspiring, these three comedic performers gave the less than sold out crowd their money’s worth with a fun evening of looking back at the music from the film legacy that is Guest/McKean/Shearer.

Rock on through the fog (although, for tonight’s performance, the fog machine will NOT be used),

A.J. Crandall

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5 Responses

  1. Thanks for this! I love Spinal Tap and this was in depth, with just enough nostalgia sprinkled throughout. An entertaining and interesting read.

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