Chad Wackerman with Allen Holdsworth
Allen Holdsworth at Gillys in Dayton Ohio
Last night a very good friend took me to see Allen Holdsworth at Gillys (thank you David!).
I will admit to not really knowing much about him, although I’d heard his playing for years and just didn’t know it. The real reason for going to the show was to see Chad Wackerman. Again, I didn’t know much about him either, but I did know he had chops that wouldn’t stop, and that’s reason enough for me.
Chad play’s DW drums, which I have always been fond of. His set was a beautiful sparkle finish outfitted with Evans heads, and although that combination should have sounded absolutely killer, his kick and toms left alot to be desired. The kick drum was boomy, and the toms had no virtually no resonance. This could have been due to old heads, or a poor sound guy, or both, but either way, it was what it was. I’m not sure what brand of cymbals he was playing, but they sounded amazing, as did his DW snare.
Now, irregardless of the tone of his drums, to say Chad has great chops is an understatement. He was playing licks that I could not even dream of playing! And not just the occasional amazing lick…he played them all night long, in every song. In fact, David and I kept waiting for him to settle into a groove, and it never really happened. I really didn’t matter though. One thing that really struck me…Chad really didn’t look like he was enjoying himself much. He played amazing, but seemed preoccupied. I’m hoping I don’t look like that when I play. This is something to be conscious of from this point forward. I ALWAYS have a great time playing. I need to show it!
All in all – the music was amazing, and in this intimate and relaxed setting, it was a perfect evening. I really wish more people would come out and support this kind of fusion and musicianship. I also want to say THANK YOU to Jerry Gillotti for bringing great music and artists like this to Dayton for so many years! By the way, Allen Holdsworth is a phenomenal player, and if you ever get a chance to see him, do it. You won’t be disappointed:
