BY MARK VOGER
STAFF WRITER
There's something creepy about Ian Astbury. He's taking this Jim Morrison thing way too seriously.
He's taking this Jim Morrison thing way too seriously. Astbury styles his hair like Morrison, dresses like Morrison and even adopts Morrison's expletive-crazy onstage 'tude.
The onetime singer for The Cult again is playing the part of Morrison in the Doors of the 21st Century, the reunited remnants of the '60s rockers once led by Morrison (who died at age 27 in 1971).
The band is headlining the multi-act "Strange Days Festival" tour, which came to the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel on Friday.
The good news is that the Doors of the 21st Century not only faithfully reproduced the Doors' music but took it to many other wonderful places. Founding keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger were positively on fire.
You felt like you were really seeing and hearing the Doors, and that's something.
The same can't be said for every act on the tour, which include Pat Travers, the Yardbirds, Vanilla Fudge and Steppenwolf.
That '70s guitarist Travers used lots of wah-wah and phase-shifter (ask your local guitar geek), as '70s guitarists are wont to do.
Wearing a Jackson Browne bowl-cut circa "The Pretender," Travers brought us back to the era of rolling papers and feathered earrings. He capped his set with "Boom, Boom, Out Go the Lights," a song that requires audience participation. Alas, the crowd was still too thin by 6:30 p.m. to respond properly.
The Yardbirds sounded OK. Their songs are pure '60s magic. But it took a leap of faith to believe you were really seeing the Yardbirds — the "British Invasion" band that launched the careers of guitar gods Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
It didn't help that lead singer John Idan looked like he wasn't born yet when most of the songs performed were first recorded: "Train Kept A-Rollin'," "Heart Full of Soul," "Shapes of Things," "Over, Under, Sideways, Down," "For Your Love," "Dazed and Confused." (Only two band members date back to the '60s: guitarist Chris Dreja and drummer Jim McCarty.)
Sometimes, though, the old magic crept in and it was 1966 all over again.
Such doubts never plagued Vanilla Fudge's set.
The original guys — the same quartet that played "The Ed Sullivan Show" way back when — reunited for the first time in 35 years. Keyboardist Mark Stein, guitarist Vince Martell, bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice had a blast up there, and the feeling was infectious.
The Fudge performed "She's Not There," "People Get Ready," "Shotgun," "Season of the Witch" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On." Some of Stein's Hammond B3 swirls gave you chills.
Steppenwolf is singer John Kay; other original members are long gone. But in this case, it doesn't matter, and hasn't for years.
Kay's band is well trained to duplicate the old hits such as "Sookie Sookie," "Hey Lawdy Mama," "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Born to be Wild." Kay's distinctive growl puts them over. His sound and look — black denim vest, black jeans, sleeveless black T-shirt — are so dated they never get old.
The four opening acts played in front of a simple black curtain with no special lighting or effects, in sharp contrast to the Doors of the 21st Century. With these accoutrements, the band carried itself like a true headliner — and delivered the goods.
Songs performed included "Break On Through (to the Other Side)," "Love Me Two Times," "When the Music's Over," "Five to One," "Touch Me" and "L.A. Woman." The Doors were joined by Travers and Appice for the delightfully reckless encore, "Roadhouse Blues."
A final thought on Astbury's eerie channeling of Morrison: If this guy gains 100 pounds, grows a beard and begins to expose himself onstage, we'll know he's taken it too far.
return to Ida's LA Woman Confidential home page
for more Doors news and reviews