Big Brother and the Holding Company
Quicksilver Messenger Service
It's a Beautiful Day
Reno Hilton Pavilion - 6/13/98
Hosted by Tommy Chong

here is always a little trepidation when I decide to go to a 'cardiopulminary' revival show. I always ask myself questions like. "Will the fire from yesteryear still be there?" "Will the replacement for old members do a good job?" "Will the atmosphere be the same as it was back then?" and most importantly "Will they suck?" The first thing I heard coming from the pavilion was the sound of psychedelic music from the P.A.'s, and the first thing I saw was a wave of tye-dye. Getting past the fact that I was in a hotel/casino, this did have the atmosphere.

ommy Chong was the first to hit the stage, telling jokes about drugs and talking about the breakup of Cheech and Chong, ect. The fact that these are the days where joking about drugs is considered politically incorrect didn't matter a bit. Tommy is an icon, and he didn't disappoint his fans. To answer the question why did Cheech and Chong break-up? "It's 'cause we got rich, man, and everybody knows you can't make a rich Mexican do anything."

hen it was time for It's a Beautiful Day with David LaFlamme and Linda LaFlamme. When I talked (yeah, talked! I'll explain later) to David and Linda they were very upbeat about touring again, and had that look of sheer enjoyment when they talked to their fans. Well, sheer enjoyment was what IABD gave to their fans. Linda's voice is as strong as ever and David's voice has lost a little punch, but its power is still overwhelming. The band is tight, and after all these years has held together most of its original members. David's violin solos are extraordinary. The extended solo on White Bird is beyond belief with the hairs on his violin bow breaking and splintering because of the amazing speed in which he played. The only downside (if you can call it a downside) is that they played songs almost exclusively from their first album, but with that aside they were phenomenal.

fter IABD left the stage, Tommy came back up plugged in his guitar and started playing. He did old classics like Blind Melon Chittlin, and a new song he wrote called Beaner (about you know who). So everyone is singing Beaner while Tommy throws some one-liners in between. I had problems singing Beaner because I was still laughing at the line he just sang. What a concept! Have someone entertaining you while you're waiting for the next band to set-up.

ext up was Quicksilver. This unfortunately was the disappointment of the evening. I found them to be very one-dimensional. It was as if Gary Duncan had told the band "Okay, it's in this key, let's go out and play." The only song played with any energy was Ellis McDaniels' Who Do You Love. Also, the band was limited to doing only Gary's songs, so songs like Fresh Air and Pride of Man weren't played. My suggestion is if you want to hear Quicksilver, pull out an album. You'll get more out of it.

f I had any skepticism about a band before they even hit the stage, it would be Big Brother and the Holding Company. When someone tries to sing songs that were originally done by a legend, I'm always a little leery that they won't be able to walk in the huge shoes that they have to fill. The foundation of Big Brother is still there with founding members Sam Andrew (guitar), Peter Albin (bass), and Dave Getz (drums) to insure the music would be well-represented. Guitarist Tom Finch picked up where James Gurley left of, even playing feedback by putting the guitar up to the amp instead of doing it through foot pedals, as is often done today. But all eyes were on Lisa Battle. Could she stand up to the challenge of singing Janis' songs? Could she sing with the same raw power and sexual energy that were her trademarks?

ig Brother started off with Call on Me, which was done almost to a tee. A very good opening song to showcase all the talent that was onstage. They played songs from their popular Cheap Thrills album, as well as the earlier self-titled album that was released on Mainstream Records, including the previous mentioned Call on Me, Women is Losers, and Down on Me. Lisa stood up to the challenge that was given to her, except for key parts in Summertime and Ball and Chain. But those things can be marked down as being unable to duplicate, because some things Janis did can never be done again. So Lisa isn't Janis, but Lisa is Lisa, and Lisa is one helluva a blues singer. How well did she fill Janis' shoes? Well, put it this way -- if Janis wore a size 7, Lisa wears a size 6. She may not have the sexual energy that Janis did, but she has the raw power. Sometimes during the show I closed my eyes and thought "Yeah, that sounds like Janis."

ack in the sixies if a band wanted to make some extra money they'd sell T-shirts during or after the show. Well, welcome back to the sixies, folks. That's exactly what Big Brother, IABD, and Tommy Chong did. It wasn't some snot-nosed kid saying "That'll be twenty-five bucks" with that distant look, thinking he should be rollerblading somewhere. These were the actual band members selling their wares. They were happy to talk to you and give you an autograph, all with smiles on their faces, which is what the sixies groups of San Francisco were all about. Sure they were after the almighty dollar as much as other bands, but they kept in touch with fans. The bands I saw have yet to break that bond, and I hope they never will.

Review by Greg "BlueGreg" Warren