Concert review: The Smithereens at Glass Cactus (August 20)

by Mike Orren

GRAPEVINE — The Smithereens are one of those bands that I loved and never got to see in their heyday. So I was thrilled when I saw that they were coming to play The Glass Cactus at The Gaylord Texan. Given that the current tour is mostly free festivals and the like, and that I couldn't find any recent reviews, I was a little worried about what the 2008 model of the band might sound like -- I'm happy to report that my fears were unwarranted. The Smithereens still rock, or power-pop or [insert your 80's/90's genre stereotype here].

The band focused on the greatest hits, plugging in a new song or two here and there and also touching on their two recent Beatles tribute albums. They still have their chops, and three original members who stretched out with extended jams on old favorites like "House that Used to Be" and "Blues Before and After." Guitarist Jim Babjack can still bust a crunchy-but-melodic solo and new bassist Severo "The Thrilla" Jornacion holds a Entwistle-influenced groove.

I'll have to admit that I was right there with the guy who yelled out "You're making me feel old!" in response to stage banter about the band's best album, 11, nearing its twentieth anniversary. That was furthered by the band looking like, well, a bunch of dads and frontman Pat DiNizio's acknowledgment that while his face hadn't gotten a wrinkle since I first knew him as a scrawny mod singer-songwriter -- he "hadn't been so lucky elsewhere."

The songs have held up without wrinkles, though. As Lee Harvey's Seth Smith (who happened to be in the crowd in front of me) noted after "Blood and Roses": "Now that's songwriting."

For a band that's been together 28 years, The Smithereens attacked the set with verve and good humor. Face it-- The 1990 Smithereens probably weren't dreaming of playing before a crowd of a couple hundred at a Texas convention resort. But even though the crowd looked evenly mixed between true believers and incidental hotel guests, the band played with an infectious intensity that had the whole house engaged by the end of their over-two-hour set -- maybe even a bit too engaged at a couple points.

The Glass Cactus (which I'd not been to before) is designed inside like a scale model of the big room at the House of Blues. And the stage is close and accessible enough that fans could high five the band and serve them Crown Royal shots; that the band could make its way down into the crowd; and that a gushy Grapevine gal could stagger her way onto the stage and glom on to DiNizio for a few minutes before she was run off (but not out). And during one instrumental jam, a couple aging hipsters engaged in an off square-cum-slam dance, dervishing through the crowd and nearly starting a fight as they toppled a few of their fellow guests. Heh. Maybe we aren't so old after all.

Drummer Dennis Diken is the band's secret weapon, as much for his wry humor as for his strong beats. During a technical glitch he pounded out and sang an impromptu rendition of "Long Tall Texan" and pulled together an emotive Marilyn Monroe-esque "Happy Birthday Mr. President" when the aforementioned lass cozied up to DiNizio on stage.

A good time was had by all, from the upper-middle aged group of Asian women who line danced their way up to the stage to the aging hipsters doing a wedding party version of The Mashed Potato. While there were a couple hundred at the show, there was room for many more, opening up substantial floor space for dancing.

The show closed with the inevitable rendition of the band's biggest hit, "Girl Like You," which segued into a spot-on cover of The Who's "Behind Blue Eyes." The band's night wasn't over even then, as they offered to autograph merch until everyone was served. Good sports and still a great band.

The Glass Cactus is an advertiser and we ran promotion for this show. That did not in any way impact or color this review. Anyone who saw the show and thinks different can let us know in the comments below.