- New Year's Eve 2005/2006 - The Avalon - Santa Clara, CA
- A rockin’ good time was had by all at the Avalon nightclub last night in Santa Clara, as famed rock band, Y&T welcomed in the new year. This show was a bit special, being their first New Years Eve show in 13 years! You could feel the excitement in the air, leading up to, and all the way though the show. Featuring all original members, including Joey Alves who, due to health issues, has not played regularly with the band for several years. The show was more than loud enough and the sound was good. They played most of the traditional favorites, such as “I Believe In You,” “Black Tiger,” “Don’t Stop Runnin’,” “Forever,” and “Summertime Girls.” They also played some more obscure tunes, that were not always played during their heyday of doing larger venue shows.
They have been back together for about three years now, doing several club dates both locally, and in various places around the world. The guys were in rare form. Frontman/guitarist Dave Meniketti, did an outstanding job of singing and playing soulful, stylish leads on some of the slower bluesy songs, along with crisp shredding guitar on the heavier tunes. Joey Alves seemed happy, healthy, and was having a blast, while playing and singing quite well too, during his guest set performance. Bassist Phil Kennemore, and drummer Leonard Haze were the consummate professionals, performing well in keeping the bottom end. John Nymann is a solid and welcome addition to the lineup taking most of the rhythm guitar duties and singing, having co-written songs and been on tour with Y&T in the past. They finished off the evening with an encore of “Rescue Me,” being joined onstage by Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon - as the crowd roared in approval. Frank Hannon’s own side band had opened the show, along with Rubber Side Down.
Another nice aspect of seeing this show was the club itself. The Avalon is a roomy “supper club” type of venue with a 70s/80s nightclub feel to it. Clean, classy, and roomy, holding up to 1,000 attendees. One thing that the Avalon offers as a nice touch is serving breakfast after performances. This is something that practically every club and bar should do, but somehow aren’t legally able to in different areas. It’s a good way to do a meet ’n’ greet after the show between band and fans, as well as getting some food in the system to sober up. If anything, this is a club that cares about its patrons.
Following the show, Y&T came out to do some handshaking and autograph signing. Always cordial and polite, everyone had a chance to meet the band. This was the first New Year’s show in a long time that was intimate and genuinely fun to attend.
Written by Keith Denison
|
