from CLASSIC ROCK Magazine

August 2000   (cover:  Ozzy Osbourne)

ROBBY KRIEGER

Wetlands, NYC     May 15, 2000

Set-length:  One hour, 45 minutes

Tickets:  $15

Set-list:   Miserlou / Touch Me / The Alley / Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) / Back Door Man / Five to One / Riders On The Storm / Moonlight Drive / Wild Child / Revelation / Wishful Sinful / Snake Oil / Spanish Caravan / Peace Frog / One Way Out / L.A. Woman

Encore:  Red Alert / Freedom Jazz Dance / Love Her Madly

When should a rock legend hang it up?  When they record for little-known indie labels?  When arena headliners do pub tours?  The answer:  neither.  The only time someone should call it a day is when they've lost their chops.  For Robby Krieger, who combined jazz and rock to create a dangerous new sound in the hippie-dominated 60s rock scene, that time hasn't come.  As a guitarist, he's as good a player as he ever was back in the days of the Doors.  In fact, he's added a number of tricks, from sources as diverse as funk and surf music.

Don't believe it?  Instead of kicking off the show with the expected Doors tunes, he began with a searing cover of Dick Dale's surf classic 'Miserlou.'  Not that he was out to disappoint fans:  the surprise trip to the beach ended there.  The rest of the night was dominated by songs from the Doors' repertoire, with some instrumentals thrown in, and the Allman Brothers' 'One Way Out' sung by bassist Berry Oakley Jr. (son of the late Allmans bass player).  Unfortunately, Krieger's voice is as monotone as they come, and he lacks the charisma of his former frontman Mr. Morrison.  Ultimately, though, that hardly mattered:  as one enthusiastic fan was heard to say, "He was in The Doors, dude, and he's playing here, for us!"

Predictably, the Doors songs went over like the Second Coming of Morrison, and, happily, the crowd treated Krieger's (much) lesser-known solo instrumental material with due respect, much to the guitarist's delight.

It's nice to know that someone like Krieger, who was one of the more experimental six-stringers on the rock scene decades ago, is still developing as a player.  And if that's not good enough for you, he'll play you a Doors tune.

by Brian Ives

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