Abbey Rd in Boston Review

["Jeff House" <whocasa@hotmail.com>]

I'll offer some thoughts when I'm able to put some together.  Summary:  
sorry-assed first set with a few high points, great fun in the 2nd set.

from http://www2.bostonherald.com/entertainment/music/abbe07122001.htm

Musicians ease on down `Abbey Road'
Music Review/by Sarah Rodman


Thursday, July 12, 2001

"A Walk Down Abbey Road," with Alan Parsons, Todd Rundgren, John Entwistle 
and Ann Wilson. At the FleetBoston Pavilion, last night.


In theory, it sounded like a really strange, and potentially bad, idea.

Four well-respected musicians, whose commercial and creative peaks occurred 
quite awhile ago, banding together to pay tribute to each other and the 
Beatles in a show entitled ``A Walk Down Abbey Road.'' In fact, it sounded 
like Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band, minus an actual Beatle.

But in execution last night at the FleetBoston Pavilion, Ann Wilson of 
Heart, John Entwistle of the Who, Alan Parsons and Todd Rundgren - with 
immeasurable assistance from David Pack of Ambrosia - came together with a 
highly entertaining show that was a rousing success. Proving yet again, as 
if it were necessary, that the Beatles catalog is an absolute blast both for 
performers and audiences.

The first set was dedicated to the performers own well-known material.

Wilson drew the night's first huge ovation for a soaring vocal on Heart's 
driving rocker ``Crazy on You.'' Later she floated through the ethereal 
``Dreamboat Annie'' and kicked out the jams in the assaultive ``Barracuda.'' 
In terrific voice and seeming more confident then ever, Wilson was clearly 
having a ball especially on the McCartney solo number ``Maybe I'm Amazed,'' 
which she nailed, and the blues rave-up ``I'm Down.'' She even lent willowy 
flute to ``Fool on the Hill.''

Multi-hyphenate Rundgren was also in great voice belting out songs like 
``Hello, It's Me'' and the bouncy, anti-work anthem ``Bang the Drum All 
Day'' with his high falsetto and good humor intact. He shone during the 
Beatles set as well doing a lovely rendition of ``You've Got to Hide Your 
Love Away'' and playing a searing solo during ``My Guitar Gently Weeps.''

Entwistle, who, like Rundgren is an alumnus of Ringo's All-Starr band, not 
only brought his mind-boggling bass runs to all the material, including his 
own ``My Wife'' and the Who's ``My Generation,'' he brought drummer Steve 
Luongo and guitarist Godfrey Townsend who proved indispensable during the 
second set.

Parsons, who has the actual Beatles link - he engineered ``Abbey Road'' and 
``Let it Be'' - and is steering the tour, took a rare but lovely vocal turn 
on ``Blackbird.'' Otherwise he let Pack sing both Alan Parsons Project hits 
like ``Don't Answer Me'' and Ambrosia songs like ``Biggest Part of Me'' and 
a good deal of the Beatles stuff including an appropriately trippy ``Lucy in 
the Sky With Diamonds.''


_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com