Tommy James and the Shondells Rolling Stone Reviews

"Do Something To Me!" Tommy James and the Shondells Alive! at the Bounding main Urban center Music Pier

By Spotlight Central . Photos past Love Imagery

The boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ is packed this cool, cloudy Baronial 17, 2021 evening, but outside the Ocean City Music Pier, music lovers are already making their way off the public walk and inside the celebrated venue for a live concert by Tommy James and the Shondells.

Tommy James is one of the most pop artists of the 1960s. With hits similar "Hanky Panky," "Gettin' Together," "I Call up We're Lonely Now," and "Do Something to Me," James has sold over 100 meg records worldwide. More than than 300 artists including Bruce Springsteen, Santana, R.E.M., Billy Idol, Cher, Joan Jett, and Kelly Clarkson take covered his songs. His music has likewise been heard in 60 move pictures and in over 50 television shows including The Simpsons, Criminal Minds, and Breaking Bad.

James's critically-acclaimed autobiography, Me, The Mob and the Music, was included on Rolling Stone's list of "Top 25 Music Memoirs" and is now in pre-production for a feature film. James is also currently the host of his own weekly bear witness on SIRIUS/XM radio, Gettin' Together with Tommy James, which can be heard worldwide on the platform's popular '60s on 6 channel.

As nosotros make our way into the Ocean City Music Pier, we accept a moment to conversation with Carol Ross, Tommy James' director for the by 25 years. When asked what it'south been like existence back on the road after an eighteen-month hiatus, Ross replies, "Information technology's going to have a chip more fourth dimension to get back to normal, so we're taking it one show at a time," before adding, "simply Tommy is e'er thrilled to come 'downwards the shore' and perform — equally he's been saying, coming down here is similar a vacation day for him!" Acknowledging, "This is only Tommy's 2nd show since COVID — his starting time 1 went off perfectly," Ross reveals, "only he'll be back in New Jersey on November 13 with a concert at the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway where he may even perform some new tunes."

Inside the Music Pier'due south celebrated auditorium, the stage is lined with rows of speakers, guitars, a drum set, an organ, a rack of keyboards, and multiple Marshall amps. The Shondells accept their places on stage, warming upwards as the oversupply thank you before Tommy James makes his archway and picks up his guitar to join in the rockin' intro to his 1971 solo hit, "Draggin' the Line."

His voice sounding as articulate equally ever, James sings, "Makin' a livin' the old, hard way/Takin' and givin' by twenty-four hours by twenty-four hour period/I dig snow and rain and the vivid sunshine/Draggin' the line," as lights flash, song harmonies ring out, and the sound of the alive bass resonates throughout the hall.

Phones are up as people video the performance and folks sing along earlier cheering, hands clapping over their heads. James announces, "Ocean City, it'due south cracking to be here! I'g from Jersey! How the hell are ya? Tonight we're going to throw everything at you! Why don't nosotros put your free energy with ours and make something happen?"

Blue lights wink to the beat equally a tremelo electric guitar plays and James croons the lyrics to his archetype 1968 Elevation Ten hit, "Crystal Blue Persuasion." Audition members happily sing along earlier clapping and cheering for this obvious fan favorite.

Announcing, "This is only our second concert in 1-and-a-half years," James jokes, "Anything can happen — I could forget the words to 'Hanky Panky' — but what happens in Jersey stays in Jersey!"

Toes tap to the wailing guitar and archetype organ on the group's adjacent number, "Say I Am," earlier James and Co. delight the crowd with the bubblegum sounds of "Gettin' Together," the spotlight gleaming off Tommy'due south electric guitar.

Later performing the "This Erstwhile Man"-inspired "It's Simply Dearest" — and asserting, "Y'all're a very squeamish audience, God bless you!" — James picks up his acoustic guitar, joking, "Now for a few of my country hits!" He proceeds to tell the audience how his memoir, Me, the Mob, and the Music, is slated to go a motility picture and describes the final musical number in the film as a slowed-downwards version of his archetype tune, "I Think Nosotros're Lonely Now."

Audience members sing along to James' mainly "unplugged" version of the song, evidently enjoying this extremely emotional rendition of "I Think Nosotros're Alone At present" where the lyrics accept on a completely new meaning.

Following cheers and a standing ovation, Tommy and the band movement on to a powerful and driving rendition of "Brawl of Fire" — a song which features stunning live song harmonies — before standing with the 1970 hitting James co-wrote and produced for the group, Live Northward Kickin'. Filled with mighty harmonies and ability chords, lights flash as he and the band put a fresh spin on the meg-seller, "Tighter, Tighter."

The crowd cheers as Tommy and the band ramp things upward even farther with a performance of James' 1968 #1 smash, the psychedelic "Crimson and Clover." On this number, Tommy sings with feeling, "Ah, now I don't hardly know her/Simply I think I could honey her/Reddish and clover," before being accompanied past a veritable wall of sound on this archetype rock ballad which sold over 5 million copies.

The oversupply cheers, whistles, and stands for this epic performance, and James and the band answer with a song that really gets the crowd moving — 1966's "Hanky Panky" — the oversupply cheering and clapping heartily at the cease.

Tommy and the boys follow up with a second version of "I Think We're Solitary Now" — this fourth dimension, an up-tempo rendition, à la the ane heard on the original 1967 Top v recording — rocking the room as audition members dance and cheer.

1968's tricky "Practise Something To Me" seems particularly noteworthy in 2021 as Tommy croons, "C'monday, practise something to me/Assistance me to ease all the worry." Then, the James' gang launches into an electric version of one of the greatest party songs in the history of popular music, Tommy's 1968's Summit Ten boom, "Mony Mony." Audience members dance on the sidelines while the ring vamps, and James scats equally the guitar echoes him earlier leading the audience in a phone call-and-response sing-along to the song'southward classic "Feels then good!" lyric.

After receiving withal some other standing ovation, James and Co. perform an encore of Tommy'south soulful 1969 Pinnacle Ten striking, "Sweet Ruby Wine." They follow upward with a rollicking rendition of 1967's "Delusion," before concluding this night's festivities with a rockin' reprise of "Mony Mony," at which fourth dimension audition members leap to their anxiety with sustained cheers and applause.

"Goodnight, Ocean City!" exclaims Tommy to the happy crowd.

Equally nosotros brand our way out of the Music Pier'due south auditorium, we talk with several members of the audience who share their opinions of tonight's concert with us.

First, we conversation with Greg and Arlene from Upper Township. Exclaims Greg, "Tommy James sounds great! He's 74 years old and he hasn't lost whatever of his vox — plus he'south so energetic!"

Arlene agrees, asserting, "I dear his hits — I'm just in love with his music!" adding, "My favorite song tonight was 'I Think We're Solitary Now.' It was so interesting to see how he changed it upward," before noting, "Last yr, information technology was really tough not being able see any concerts, but information technology'due south cracking to be able to come here to the ocean and hear alive musicians like Tommy James again."

Next, we chat with Lukas, 16, from Mount Laurel, who is attention tonight's show with his mom. Explains Lukas, "I'm here in Body of water Urban center for the summer — I work at the beach — and when I found out Tommy James was performing this evening, I just had to come." Continuing, "I dear 60's music!" Lukas recalls, "I got into it at my grandparents business firm, and, also, from random exposure — like seeing The Monkees on Tv so exploring more '60s music — and at present I feel it's the all-time decade of music." Adding, "My favorite song tonight was 'Draggin' the Line' — but I loved them all," Lukas also notes, "I'thousand going to go along to enjoy Tommy's music both on vinyl and Spotify."

Lastly, nosotros chat with Marsha from Collegeville, PA who declares, "Tommy James was simply fabulous! Amazing! His voice has soul, just as it e'er has," earlier last, "What can I say? He's yet got it! He played hit afterwards hit and he nailed all of 'em!"

To larn more most Tommy James and the Shondells, please go tommyjames.com. For more than info on Tommy James and the Shondells upcoming November 13, 2021 performance at Spousal relationship County Performing Arts Eye in Rahway, please click on ucpac.org. To larn more than virtually future shows at the Body of water City Music Pier, please go to ocnj.u.s.a./SummerConcertSeries.

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Source: https://medium.com/spotlight-central/do-something-to-me-tommy-james-and-the-shondells-live-at-the-ocean-city-music-pier-34c2121d5f9b