Concert Wrap: Ted Nugent, July 2 @ the AMP
July 3rd, 2010 at 10:03 am
All photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media
The Motor City Madman is plenty mad.
He’s upset with the government. He beckons for love for America. He swears a lot.
There are other definitions of mad, of course, such as “Feeling or showing strong liking or enthusiasm.
Ted Nugent was plenty mad by that definition, too. He strutted about the stage, singing, throwing down wild guitar licks and causing a Friday night crowd at the Arkansas Music Pavilion that likely exceeded 2,000 fans on a warm but pleasant Arkansas night to scream with abandon.
The servings of rock were plentiful, but there was more fat than needed.
Between anecdotal references to whatever was on his mind and political ranting about the current political administration, Nugent and his two bandmates played an uptempo brand of catchy music Nugent labeled “barbecue rock and roll.”
It’s hard to separate Ted Nugent the musicians from Ted Nugent the author, activist and outdoor aficionado, mostly because he won’t allow it.
Nugent talked about the ‘Mao Tse Tung fan club’ in the White House, much like he did in an interview we conducted with him last week. He cursed profusely. He thanked – earnestly, I believe – parents for bringing their children to get a lesson about America during a musical interlude to a song unabashedly about sex.
These are the frustrations of a Ted Nugent concert, and, regardless of the political affiliations of those in the crowd, it gets tedious and steals from what should be the meat of the show, which is Nugent’s remarkable guitar work.
Those who know Nugent well know to expect such tirades, and the crowd that gathered with him for the Friday night show responded generously when he called for a change of order at the presidential level a few Novembers from now.
In between such banter, Nugent and his able backing band delivered the hits one would expect of him, including “Hey Baby,” “Wango Tango,” “Stranglehold” and “Free For All.”
There were plenty of new songs, too, such as “Love Grenade,” which, even though it didn’t get as much of a wild response as some of the better known songs, fits well among Nugent’s extensive catalog.
There were other musical highlights, too, including an instrumental aside of the Jimi Hendrix-penned blues song “Red House” and a reading of “Soul Man.”
Of course, the highlight of any concert by Nugent might be the song “Stranglehold,” which features one of the better extended guitar solos of the classic rock cannon. Nugent and company played it faithfully, and the frontman’s guitar work has not suffered in the decades since the beginning of his career. His voice lacks a little of its former punch, but Nugent compensates with enthusiasm and gusto.
That gusto, of course, extends into a bit of self-indulgent blathering that, if removed and replaced with a few more tracks, would have made for a more pleasant evening.
This is Ted Nugent, however, a friend to Mike Huckabee, a hunter and a proud American.
You will hear his politics.
And, you will hear some honest, driving rock ’n’ roll.
About the opening act: I caught very little of Val Halla’s set, but the last two songs sounded good. The group if very steeped in the blues.
Ted Nugent set list: 1) Stormtroopin’; 2) Wango Tango; 3) Free for All; 4) [Note: Somewhat explicit. Catch the title by clicking this link.] , also included an instrumental interlude of “Red House” 5) Rawdogs and Warhogs; 6) Need You Bad; 7) Love Grenade; 8) KLSTRPHNKY; 9) Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead; 10) Soul Man; 11) Hey Baby; 12) Just What The Doctor Ordered; 13) Fred Bear; 14) Cat Scratch Fever; 14) Stranglehold;
Encore: 15) Great White Buffalo
Hi! I just wanted to add that Val Halla herself had a strong presence, but the band (not sure if they are her regulars) were awesome. My son (15) and I were excited enough to go and buy their cd, but were somewhat disappointed to learn that the musicians we heard weren’t the ones in the recording (at least not the bassist). Thanks for your site.