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IZZ in Concert
Metlar-Bodine Museum
Piscataway, N.J.
Jan. 18, 2003
You truly get the feeling that
Progressive Rock is still, in general, very much an “underground” art-form when you
attend a show at the Metlar-Bodine Museum near Rutgers University (a.k.a. The New
Jersey ProgHouse). This intimate venue for catching a band seats only about forty to
fifty, and if you were seated on the side of the front row like I was, it meant your
feet were touching some of the cables for the band’s equipment and you were only a
few feet away from the action, yet I never felt too “In the face” of the band.
Iggy, Tomasan and I took (dragged?) our wives along to see New York based IZZ at
this place that has a history of ghostly apparitions, apparently restless spirits
who haunt the house as the result of an inconclusive murder trial involving Judge
Parker, Eleanor Mills, and Pastor Hall. Iggy swears that some of the pictures he
took contain streaks of light he cannot account for. Look at them closely. Spectres
caught on digital camera technology, perhaps?
Anyway, IZZ was fantastic! They remind me a bit of Spock’s Beard in that they truly
seem to enjoy playing without being too pretentious and a bit self-depreciating
during the between-song chatter. The first set was devoted to many of their tunes
from the 1998 debut album “Sliver of a Sun” as well as some as yet unreleased
material, solos and duets which made for a nice mix of straight ahead prog, folk,
celtic, and even Latin flavors. Brothers Tom and John Galgano performed a nice
acoustic guitar version of “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” . The second set covered
virtually all of 2002’s “I Move” before ending with a cover of Pink Floyd’s
“Comfortably Numb” , where Tom blew the lyrics of a song just about everybody can
recite (My hands felt just like two balloons, Tom!), and returning to “Sliver” with
“Razor” and “Where I Belong”.
Kudos to the Metlar-Bodine Museum for hosting top-notch Progressive Rock and almost
knocking the portrait of Abe Lincoln off the wall!
Reviewed by: Rick Woodward 1/31/03
Visit IZZ Official Website
http://geocities.com/izzeo/
CHECK OUT THE IZZ
GALLERY
:: SET LIST ::
Meteor
I Get Lost
Molly's Jig
She Walked Out The Door
Lornadoone
Just a Girl
Crossfire of Hatred and Love
Fine
Endless Calling
I've Just Seen a Face
Abby's Song (John)
The Lamb (Tom and John)
Brems solo
Assurance
Second Set
" I Move "
Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”
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