David Johansen vocalist of New York Dolls
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NEW YORK DOLLS
with Black Joe Lewis
and the Honeybears
Culture Room
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
June 10, 2009
Reviewed by David Levitan
Photos by Lauren Laufer
A typical night at the Culture Room would include a long line stretching down the wall outside the venue. Tonight though was different. Instead of just college students and teenagers, there were people of various ages for the New York Dolls performance. It wasn’t just the age difference that was shocking to see, but also the fact that the show’s line wasn’t down the wall, and consisted of maybe 10 people. The majority of the fans here were old enough to enjoy the bar down at the shopping plaza.
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears bassist
Once inside I made my way to grab a spot right against the stage. I was intrigued to see Black Joe Lewis after hearing his music online. After the lights dimmed and the stage lights brightly lit the room, he took the stage with his backing band the Honeybears. Kicking right into the groove of funk and soul, they lit up the stage with such energy and sound. The saxophones added a flavor to the music which got the crowd and myself cheering along and feeling the vibe of the music through our bones.
Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears were attracting in those who were waiting in the courtyard of the venue. During several of his songs, Joe Lewis would pull out his harmonica and lay out some riffs to go along with the Honeybears groove. After about an hour long set, they closed the night with a bang, with the sharp accents of the saxophones and Joe blazing a solo on his guitar.
The saxophones added a flavor to the music which got the crowd and myself cheering along and feeling the vibe of the music through our bones.
Black Joe Lewis
After a short set change the house lights dimmed again, yet this time only the opening band and some stragglers were in the courtyard. The New York Dolls took the stage after having an opera piece play with their logo on the screen behind them. Kicking right into a classic hit, the band grabbed the attention of the fans. Adding to tonight's set were songs off Cause I Sez So, blending perfectly with the classics.
If it wasn’t enough just to see this New York group again, they played with such energy and spirit, interacting with the fans and stepping right up to the front of the stage and soloing or letting fans strum the strings during some of the songs. It felt as if they were playing for their close friends, and it seemed as if they were back in 1971, kicking out their jams as if no time has gone by at all.
The New York Dolls took the stage at the Culture Room with a set of their greatest hits along with the energy and spirit they had back in 1971. They created a memorable concert event, showing they can still kick out some new hits that blow the new groups out of the water.
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Brian Delaney, drummer for New York Dolls
Sami Yaffa and Sylvain Sylvain of New York Dolls
Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears guitarist