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Light My Fire
live at Tucson's Blues on May 7, 2010
While Adam West and Burt Ward, dressed in tights as
Batman and Robin socked it to the bad guys, Lyndon B. Johnson had to justify
sending men off to fight the 'gooks' in Vietnam.
Martin Luther King inspired the world with his million man march, NASA was
on the cusp of sending astronauts to the moon, The Beatles released their
multi-tracked masterpiece Sgt. Pepper and The Lonely Hearts Club Band,
Israel had its 6-day war with Egypt, Syria and Jordan and The Doors released not one, but
two albums in 1967; their first self-titled album and Strange Days; a title
that surely meant to be ironic.
Light My Fire, Ottawa's Doors tribute band started their show at Tucson's
Blues on Friday, May 7 with their lead singer in full Jim Morrison attire
reciting poetry from Mr. Mojo Rising which alludes to the metaphor of life
as a circus or cinema show where everyone is invited to attend and
participate; "Is everybody IN ?...''
In comes a minor chromatic scale from the keyboard section and the band
ushers in the title song from The Doors second album Strange Days. On a
nylon screen behind the band images from the events that have marked the
late-sixties unfurl in sync with the haunting, psychedelic rock score.
The theatrical presentation is realized with perfection as the
soft-projected images blend seamlessly with the anthemic track from the
Doors; the audience is mesmerized by the live flashback to 1967 and 1968 as
some images appear to have been plucked from events occurring in that year
and we are all reminded of a time where mankind flirted with its flights of
brilliance and episodes of sheer lunacy.
Light My Fire continued their show with a classic rocker from The Doors'
repertoire; Hello I Love You. Jim takes a swig from his bottle of Jack
Daniels (though I've heard someone whisper it might be Ginger Ale)...which
reminds me of Ginger (Tina Louise from Gilligan's Island; another hit
TV-show from the late sixties) as she somewhat resembles the late Pamela Courson,
a redhead femme fatale who was Jim Morrison's on-and-off flame and subject
of many songs...
Light My Fire then played several lesser known album fillers such as; My
Eyes Have Seen You, Queen of the Highway and Spanish Caravan and finished
their first set with some of the classic hits from the Doors' first album;
The End, Break On Thru (to the Other Side) and Soul Kitchen.
The show was relatively glitchless in the sound department; save for a
brief malfunction with one of the ivory tickler's keyboards which seemed to
have its volume fade out inadvertently during the second set.
Lee Keeley as Jim Morrison successfully emulated the sound of Jim Morrison's
tenor vocals throughout the night, also occasionally joking with the
audience and with his fellow band-mates. Stephen Tippet on keyboards
provided the Ray Manzarek flavored sound palette with precision and
showmanship. Mark Sudworth on guitar also completed his part perfectly and
at times even gave a hint of a Robbie Kriegerish silhouette. Brian Butler
filled in the bass player chore which was a much-worthy presence on The
Doors albums but never a presence that was accorded in a live setting;
Manzarek preferred to play the bass partition with his left hand. Rick Houle
on drums replicated the sound and drum parts created by stickman John
Densmore with a proximity to the album versions that at times was simply
astounding. In fact, the entire band masterfully performed 38 songs by The
Doors which were as close to the album versions as any band could possibly
replicate.
Their second set gave us Riders On The Storm accompanied beautifully by
thunder and rain; Love Me Two Times, Love Her Madly, LA Woman (accompanied
by a period video), When The Music's Over and Roadhouse Blues as an encore.
The dance floor filled up during their rendition of LA Woman and it
definitely showed as an audience favorite; it seems the audience would've
danced to it on a second go-round.
For a cool, rainy night in Ottawa this show was a perfect time trip in sound
and visuals to the Strange Days of the sixties; a well-crafted performance
from 5 seasoned musicians with some help from a lady off stage who projected
images through rays of light.
Seek out Light My Fire at their next show and absorb their wonderful,
whimsical and ironic homage to the late sixties and the sounds realized by a
band called...The Doors.
Glen Beckerson
Ottawa Ontario
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