DWEEZIL ZAPPA
RETURN OF THE SON OF...
ROX(POSTROPHY): CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF APOSTROPHE (') AND ROXY & ELSEWHERE
LIVE
BARRYMORE THEATER
MADISON, WI
MAY 1, 2025
MUSICIANS:
Dweezil Zappa: guitar, vocals
with
Ryan Brown: drums, percussion, vocals
Scheilia Gonzales: saxophone, keyboards, duck calls, vocals
Kurt Morgan: bass, vocals
Zach Tabori: drums, percussion, keyboards, guitar, vocals
Bobby Victor: keyboards, vocals
Over the years, as I have amassed the good fortune to witness Dweezil Zappa and his band of uniformly formidable musicians--this posting representing my fourth time--I wish to passionately implore to all of you reading that should Zappa and--again--his band of uniformly formidable musicians make a tour stop near you...purchase a ticket and...GO!!!!
Certainly familiarity with the incomparable, indescribable music of Frank Zappa will intensify your overall enjoyment with these performances by Zappa's son Dweezil but I would argue that it is not any sense of a pre-requisite. In fact, if Frank Zappa ever self described himself as anything, it was never as "rock star," or "satirist" or "provocateur," even though he existed as all of those entities and more.
Frank Zappa always thought of himself first and foremost as a Composer. With that in mind, should you attend a Dweezil Zappa concert, I suggest that you place yourself within the mindset of going to a symphonic performance of Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler and the like yet you are witnessing the son painstakingly executing his Father's dizzyingly impossible music with then utmost reverence, passion, a healthy dose of irreverent humor and an even heftier dosage of stupendous guitar heroics all of which serves as tribute to a man's body of work as well as to a figure who had two of the best hands to ever hold a guitar.
Trust me, and even after four times around, my jaw was routinely left upon the theater floor in awe for I really believe that Dweezil Zappa must be seen to be believed!
Celebrating the 50th anniversaries of both Frank Zappa's "Apostrophe (')" (released March 22, 1974) and the double live album "Roxy & Elsewhere" (released September 10, 1974), Dweezil Zappa and his bandmates, again dressed in the "Roxy" attire of matching jet black t-shirts and blue jeans, launched into material from both albums, including the scorching "Trouble Every Day," the race relation laments of "Uncle Remus," the anti television diatribe "I'm The Slime," the spiritual skepticism of "Cosmik Debris," and a personal favorite, the gloriously, deliriously gymnastic "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" and "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?".
All of those pieces plus additional selections, including titanic show opener, "Filthy Habits," and the interstellar "Inca Roads," immediately placed the spotlight upon Dweezil Zappa'a superlative guitar heroics. But, as any great band realizes, all of the pieces have to fit perfectly for the entire escape to transcend. Jus having Dweezil Zappa solo into the night would not be interesting in and of itself. I was thrilled to see band veterans drummer Ryan Brown, bassist Kurt Morgan and the astonishing saxophonist/keyboardist Scheilia Gonzales all still within the fold but for me, the MVP of the night was new band member Zach Tabori who raced between instruments with incredible alacrity, while also handling lead vocals (!!!), most stupendously on the 11 minute plus, "Punky's Whips," a tale about a young man's homo erotic crush via a photo on a rock star's poster, which Dweezil Zappa expressed with bewilderment that fans over the years have proclaimed to be the song that served as gateway to Frank Zappa's oeuvre.
Indeed, a sardonic sense of humor is required for a show such as this one. But instead of leaning into the sometimes relentless scatological elements, Dweezil Zappa and his band leaned heavily into the overall silliness, the kind of which that showcases how every solitary sound, be it silence, guffaws, guttural utterances, and snatches of dialogue are as integral to the music as the cavalcade of notes, harmonics, melodies and polyrhythms. There was ample space for a Drake/T Pain auto tune parody before "Zomby Woof." The music of Adele and Lionel Richie was performed with hysterical duck calls. And of course, Frank Zappa's idiosyncratic lyrics to sing along with.
Yet, if there was anything that surprised me about this go around with Dweezil Zappa was the sincerity and warmth that was injected into this night. While Dweezil Zappa has never emitted an aura that was standoffish, or even as seemingly as impenetrable as his Father's persona, he has typically been somewhat reticent, commanding the stage with a relaxed demeanor and bemused grin displaying a presence that makes this impossible music seem effortless. However, this time, he exuded a gregarious charm, spinning stories from his upbringing including a time when as a 12 year old, he was surprised to find none other than Edward Van Halen in his house for a visit, a story leading the band to beautifully perform the Van Halen deep cut "Push Comes To Shove."
Best of all was regarding Dweezil Zappa proudly wielding his Father's guitar, the very own on which he him self performed and composed many of the selections heard, including pieces based upon some of the earliest performances by Frank Zappa but featuring different arrangements melodies and lyrics. The coup de grace was definitely "The Lost Zappa Song," composed during the period of "The Great Wazoo" (released November 27, 1972) but never recorded. To see this honest display of heart was undeniably unexpected but extremely welcome.
To utilize a phrase from one of Frank Zappa's own album titles, to regard Dweezil Zappa and his musicians is to experience the best band you never heard in your life. Trust me, give it a chance as once you hear them, you may only wish to return and see them again!
I know I'm ready!
