Neil Innes @ Annapolis

Satire thrives! Neil Innes brought his firebrand of mischievous music to
Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday, May 24, 2009. The cheeky British gent
displayed a razor sharp wit with edgy quips that kept the Capital City
crowd chortling."A People's Guide to World Domination" was a recurring
theme throughout his musical routine.

Innes featured new material from his 2005 solo disc Works In Progress.
Late into his lengthy set, the audience was treated to a Rutles medley
on piano. Enthusiastically, Innes greeted the seated patrons with, "It's
great to be ...", as an orphaned segue that paused abruptly.

"Face Mail In The Meat Zone", a brilliantly humorous byte at those living
in their silver age interacting in the cyber age, launched the evening.
"Where Has All The Money Gone" was a topical ballad that addressed the current monetary downturn impacting the global economy. The lyric "When will we ever learn" is a warning the populace never heeds.

"This is the kind of thing I warned you about", Innes announced as he briefly walked off stage to retrieve guide notes he had left behind in the dressing room. Upon returning, Neil commented he experienced, "A senior moment there". His presentation showcased three Sit Down Comedy bits. During the second interlude, Innes wore a bright red clown nose.

In an interesting change of script, Innes recited a poem entitled "Them", embellished by a taped piano track as background music. Seated at the piano, Innes sang "Caveman's Dream", which sounded like a showtune. Playing word games next, Innes reflected on Homo Erectus, Homo Corruptus and asked, "Who put the 'sap' in Homo Sapiens"?

"Time now for a medley of hit!", was the introduction of "I'm The Urban Spaceman". Innes shared his memories of recording with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and how Paul McCartney came about to participate as producer on the group's 1968 single. Afterwards, Innes thanked everybody for coming and remarked that the, "Media monkeys are just throwing pooh at us".

"Dreams Through Shine" must have been a new composition. Played on his backpacker guitar, the wispy ballad was a verbose tale that demonstrated Innes can write stellar pieces. "Runaway" gave spectators a chance to answer back during the chorus. As he strummed the acoustic guitar Neil exclaimed, "Oh, what happened to that!", and began to tune the instrument. "I've suffered for my art. Now it's your turn".

From religion with mock-rock chords on "God Is Love" to politics with a Ukulele on "Democracy", Innes addressed both taboo themes with his incendiary sense of humor. He mentioned the effects of modern crowd control manipulating society and the importance of civil disobedience.

During "Ego Warriors", Innes had those in attendance place their thumb on the tip of their nose as the Ego Warrior Salute and recite an oath (Help me, Rhonda) to be sworn in as fellow Ego Warriors. Back on the piano, a Rutles fourplay medley was a highpoint in the program. "Rutling should be a verb" Neil stated. "Mozart must have Rutled".

"Imitation Song" is available @ neilinnes.org as a free download. Promoted as a new 'Ron Nasty vocal', the Lennonesque number ended with a blown kiss. For his finale, Innes sang into a microphone with a taped backing track on "Down That Road" like he was a Las Vegas lounge singer.

The encore was a participation exercise that divided the vocal responses between the men and the women. Innes played the banjo on "Crystal Balls" and was able to choreograph the guys and gals to sing along. After acknowledging a minor mistake, Innes bid farewell to a standing ovation.

Following his lively performance, Innes graciously sat outside in the hallway for a meet & greet with eager fans waiting to share a moment in conversation. Signing his signature and posing for pictures continued at a brisk pace. Neil was as pleasant as could be, welcoming everyone that patiently stood in line.

Annapolis setlist: Face Mail In The Meat Zone * Where Has All The Money Gone * One Of The Those People * Mr. Eurovision * Never Alone * Them (poem with tape) * Caveman's Dream * Kenny And Lisa * I'm The Urban Spaceman * Eye Candy * Dreams Through Shine * Bold Sir Robin * Run Away * God Is Love * Democracy * Ego Warriors * Double Back Alley > Good Times Roll > Another Day > Cheese And Onions (medley) * Imitation Song * Down That Road (vox with tape) * Encore: Crystal Balls

Concert photograph courtesy of Grudnick

RockonTour Issue #93
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