Eric Burdon appeared with The Animals at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival on Sunday, September 19, 2004, in Hoboken, New Jersey. The band performed an energetic although abbreviated set at the annual Fall Arts Festival.

     The 2004 line-up for The Animals included Martin Gershwitz on keyboards, Dave Meros on bass, Bernard Pershey on drums, and Dean Restum on guitar. Burdon debuted some material from his first studio effort after two decades, My Secret Life.

     The Animals began their afternoon romp with a cover of "Boom Boom", a song the original band recorded on an Extended Play disc released in 1963. Burdon lead the band through the classic 1965 single "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood".

     The first new song off Burdon's latest album, "Once Upon A Time", eventually segued into another Animals' classic, "We've Gotta Get Out Of This Place". The band immediately launched into "Over The Border", a decent rocker also found on My Secret Life.

     The band briefly played a portion of "Hey Bo Diddley" as a segue introduction to Burdon's 1967 composition, "Hey Gyp", on which Pershey laid some cool percussive beats during his extended drum solo. Their brief take of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", featured a cajun-style flavor.

     The band briefly retired before returning to deliver an encore. Burdon commented to the crowd about his appreciation of Chuck Berry's music as the band commenced to cover his 1959 rocker, "Little Queenie". The Animals' 50's style jam projected Restum's omnipresent guitar in the mix.

     Their version of "The House Of The Rising Sun" was an intense rendition of this Animals classic ballad, which was highlighted by a wicked keyboard solo by Gershwitz. Burdon belted out the vocals at the climax. The final number was a boogie-rocker as they covered the Jimi Hendrix song "You Got Me Floatin'".

     A good deal of the audience were British Invasion fans that grew up listening to Burdon over the course of his engaging musical career. They responded positively to Burdon's new songs. A number of neighborhood residents were leaning out onto their window ledges enjoying The Animal's afternoon jam on the Observer Highway Stage.

Hoboken setlist: Boom Boom * Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood * San Francisco Nights * When I was Young * Once Upon A Time > We've Gotta Get Out of This Place * Over The Border * Hey Bo Diddley > Hey Gyp * Not fade Away * It's My Life * Encore: Little Queenie * The House Of The Rising Sun * You Got Me Floatin'

Eric Burdon website

RockonTour   Issue #37
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The burden of being an Animal
Eric Burdon remains a musical force live on stage

by Timothy Tilghman