Average White Band live!

Average White Band
House Of Blues, Chicago
Wednesday, June 6, 2007

After flying under the radar for the last several years, Scottish funk/R&B-tinged rockers the Average White Band is creeping back into limelight. Between being sampled by hip-hoppers like Diddy, Public Enemy, Ice-T, and even Janet Jackson, the recent resurgence on the road of other 1970s brass bands (including Earth Wind & Fire and Chicago), plus a trio of releases, the group is expanding its fan base into a new generation.

Its 2005 effort, Greatest & Latest (Liquid Eight), found the gang collaborating with Chaka Khan and Daryl Hall. The following year’s self-released Soul & The City was recorded live at B.B. King’s in the Big Apple, and Rhino just released a double-disc package, The Definitive Groove Collection.

Yet no matter what the five-piece wall-of-sound puts on store shelves, diehards always flock for a few key tunes in particular, most notably the instrumental funk anthem “Pick Up The Pieces.” In fact, the guys teased the crowd with a few seconds of that very tune to open up its 100-minute set at House Of Blues before settling into the hypnotic grooves of “Person To Person.” And for the next dozen-plus songs, the current lineup — which ironically consists of two African-American members alongside core originals Onnie McIntyre (vocals/guitar) and Alan Gorrie (vocals/bass) — churned through a similar amalgamation that kept a dance party atmosphere at almost all times.

The show’s other crests included the original version of “Whatcha Gonna Do For Me” (it was later covered by Khan), the vibrant and dusty “Work To Do,” and the glossy “Oh, Maceo,” which tipped its hat to Maceo Parker during his legendary tenure with James Brown. But there were also a few breaks from the percolating onslaught, including the Philly-soul styled ballad “A Love Of Your Own” and the incredibly high-harmony-laden “Cloudy.”

Even with these joyful throwbacks, the band was also guilty of expanding its selections to unnecessary lengths on occasion. Though the Average White Band doesn’t fit into the jam band mold by any means, two tracks in particular developed with instrumental tinkering and noodling that dragged on for what seemed like forever. “I’m The One” was too repetitive in nature for its own good, while “Soul Searching” suffered from a long-winded funk/jazz jam session.

However, extended versions were much more meaningful in the encore, partly because of fan familiarity, but also due to the more meaningful instrumental flourishes and undeniably infectious horn patterns. “Schoolboy Crush” and “Cut The Cake” asserted themselves with hammering rhythms, while “Pick Up The Pieces” glistened with retro appeal that still translated to today’s contexts. Though the band will likely never match the commercial success of its heyday, this show indicated a live revival is in full swing, which regardless of who’s sitting behind each instrument, is still well beyond the first word in the band’s tongue-in-cheek moniker.

— Andy Argyrakis

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly