FREE ESSAY ON SETZER ROCKS THE RAPIDS

SETZER ROCKS THE RAPIDS

Bill Conway
MUS 306
2/18/99
On Monday February 15th Brian Setzer and his 16-piece orchestra, rolled into Grand
Rapids, Michigan. I just was one of the lucky ones who were able to see him perform with
legend Bob Dylan. 
The former Stray Cat turned swing musician, Setzer and his orchestra opened with a row of
Tiki God statues behind them, and began the set with Hoodoo Voodoo Doll, taken from his
1996 Interscope album, Guitar Slinger. Throughout this piece he pulled out a hail of
flashy, fluid guitar riffs, with his orchestra backing him up with thumping rhythms,
wailing horn melodies, and call-and-response choruses.
Accompanied by his band he continued to show his appreciation for the big-band swing with
his hit tune "Jump, Jive, And Wail, featured on his latest disc, Dirty Boogie. As the
orchestra drove through the song's intro, he set down his guitar, grabbed a girl from the
wings, and took her for a spin. When he finally headed back to the microphone, the band
members took the opportunity to show off some moves of their own, swaying their horns
back and forth in synchronicity. The piece featured a rather long solo by Setzer on
guitar, which was echoed by the trumpet section and string bass trading off. The walking
bass in this piece was effectively used to keep rhythm alongside the percussion section.
The piece lasted nearly 10 minutes and the orchestra went into many melodies including
mambo on That Mellow Saxophone, as well as into a version of the Beatles' Got to Get You
into My Life. Throughout, it continued the swing dancing on stage and the eccentric
lighting.
Nothing revealed Setzer's musical progression better than his new arrangement of the hit
Rock This Town. In this new version, the rhythm section stays true to the song's roots,
but the group adds intricate, extravagant horn melodies, transforming the track into a
pure swing piece. However, it seemed as though only a small portion of the crowd was
enjoying Setzer's set. Most of the floor section which was covered with "swing kids" and
old punk rockers from his stray cat days during his set. From looking at the crowd when
Dylan came on it appeared as all the Setzer fans were "weeded" out (no pun intended) by
middle age and teenage hippies. 
The performance drew material from all three Brian Setzer Orchestra albums and also
performed a wailing rendition of the "Stray Cat Strut" with a great sax solo consisting
of the "Pink Panther" theme as it's centerpiece. The set was abbreviated from regular
Setzer concerts but he was only the opening band and not the main attraction. Overall, I
felt as though this was a big breakthrough for Setzer and his orchestra. They proved that
swing was back and with a vengeance, by the end of his set it seemed as though the place
was packed and everyone was enjoy Setzer's Orchestra and his finale.