As part of The Garage's 30TH Anniversary celebrations, when it changed from being the Town & Country Club 2 to the Garage, I think it was The Cottage before that and originally a tram garage they have welcomed back Chuck Prophet who has played the venue regularly throughout those 30 years.
First on was Kris Gruen who was already on when I arrived walking into a fairly empty room, but it was still very early. The first song I heard in full was The Painter that had a long introduction explaining who it was about before Kris sang this rather minimalist song that may have been in praise of color and dusky southern panorama's but seemed a touch slight.
Kris then brought out Kendall Jane Meade to join him on Acoustic guitar and vocals this added a bit more interest, as the two guitars worked nicely together on The Table. Heaven On A Car Ride was sung as a duet and the harmonies worked nicely.
Kris then got brave and introduced his version of The Clash's Bankrobber by telling us how he met The Clash as a four-year-old kid through his legendary dad Photographer extraordinaire Bob Gruen, when The Clash were playing their legendary shows at Bonds. This was brave as the last band many of the now far fuller Garage’s audience had heard play Bankrobber at The Garage would have been The Spanish Bombs, who were Chuck Prophets Clash Tribute act, who encored with Bankrobber way back in 2011. Kris took a far softer plaintive approach to it, that took a lot of the danger out of the song.
He then closed with a very hushed Greenwich Village folkie style version of Johnny Thunders classic You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory that worked well enough to make me buy Welcome Farewell the album it's on, off of Kris after the show, this is a song that has grown and grown over the years and seems to work in a myriad of ways, these days its far more poignant than when I used to hear Johnny sing it live.
After a short break with The Garage now nearly full, it was time for Chuck Prophet Et Le Mission Express as they are on the bands new album Live A Paris to wander onstage and open with Just To See You Smile, well a good part of the audience did just that hearing just how good Chuck sounded.
Fast Kid showed the Mission Express starting to flex their muscles, as a super tight band who know when to be loose, the small flashes of inspiration from James DePrato as he was starting his nightly duel with Chuck for Guitar supremacy.
Come On Over felt like a cordial invitation, that we had all already accepted, to come and hear Chuck play once more. Wish Me Luck had some insistent keyboards form Stephanie Finch working smoothly with Kevin T. Whites bass lines.
Then Chuck took us back to the days when he would sit backstage before a gig smoking pipes, attempting to get As High As Johnny Thunders before coming on stage, as some of us were dreaming of what we used to smoke in The Garage while bands played.
Chuck switched to acoustic guitar for the bittersweet tale that is Coming Out In Code, something no one should have to go through anymore. Temple Beautiful was introduced as being about Chucks hometown of San Francisco and was the first big sing along of the night, as everyone joined in on the chorus of this great song about a legendary music venue.
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Chuck introduced the next song as being A New song that Stephanie came out front for to play some delightful accordion giving it a slight zydeco edge. Nixonland was held down tight by Vincente Rodriguez super tight drumming, as this tale of the old school corruption got going. Killing Machine was taut and a little angry and full of pain for anyone whose suffered the tragedy of being involved in a school spree killing.
Holding On came with a short speech for anyone whose just about made it through covid and is on the edge financially or health wise, go on find a friend or ask for help we'll all be there to help you out.
I wish I could figure out my extra note for Best Shirt On as I know Chuck asked us if we'd put our best Shirt On to see him tonight.
Left Hand And The Right Hand featured Stephanie on acoustic guitar as this song of fraternal fighting got going like a proper old fashioned dust up for all those musical twins and brothers who can't stand each other. Stephanie switched to accordion again for Marathon that was more of short sprint that went down well.
Alejandro Escovedo's Always A Friend was played with a subtle grace as the need to look after the friends who look out for you was made clear. Then Stephanie took centre stage with her acoustic guitar for a very sweet version of Dorsey Burnette's Hey Little One.
Chuck then sang his anthem in praise of the Ford Econoline Van and all the hard service it put in for so many touring bands. Then we got one of the high spots of any Chuck Prophet show in recent years the brilliant You Did (Bomb Shooby Dooby Bomp) full of brilliant call and response parts the Garage crowd roared back at the band at every chance it was great fun.
I guessed the next song was called 80mph which is a speed we can't drive at in England anymore, but this was good and frantic before they closed with Willie May Is Up At Bat that Chuck hoped we got as he knows we are all about Cricket and not Baseball here.
They got a well-deserved encore and Chuck started off solo on Summertime thing and the band slowly joined in for this brilliant summer anthem to herald in what we hope will be a good summer, it included a final round of band intros and a good farewell at the end of another great Chuck Prophet show at The Garage.
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