Robbin Still Rocks...

Suffice to say, the thirty years since the release of the seriously successful Two B's Please album have been kind to the guys responsible for it and their hometown reunion show at the National last Saturday was joyful confirmation that the Robbin Thompson Band was back.  Robbin, Rico, Eric, Audie and Velpo put on a potent demonstration of what three decades of honing musical skills and weeks of recent practice can do.  The boys simply kicked ass.  They were tight, full of energy and played the near sell-out crowd like a harp, reeling off every tune from the aforementioned best-seller and more current tunes as well.  Their evolution as musicians was evident in the meaty solos rendered by Robertson and Heiberg.  There was even an impromptu Wootenesque bass break by Audie Stanley that left us all shaking our heads, the rest of the band included.  Full disclosure:  Robbin's a fellow JAMinc board member who missed our meeting last week for a doctor's visit to deal with an aching back.  You'd never know it.  He prowled the stage like a youngster although he confessed to needing a few hours in the steam room the morning after to recover.  The generous two-set show was preserved by an eight-camera video crew for a future DVD.  But if they do any more of these live shows, and it's likely they will, you'll want to be there.  Whether you remember the glory days or not. Rock and Roll!  And thanks to Skip Rowland for the photos...there are lots more on his Website.

TT