Grand Funk Railroad
LA County Fair (Pomona, CA) - 09/29/2006

Taking the stage on Friday night at the LA County Fair in Pomona, Grand Funk Railroad’s energetic drummer, Don Brewer came on with more enthusiasm then is usually witnessed by bands that have been doing tours for 40 years. And that’s a refreshing thing to see; it sets the tone for the show and it shows that Mr Brewer is still, after all of these years, very happy to do what he does.

Joined on stage by his longtime band mate, bassist Mel Schacher, along with vocalist/guitarist Max Carl (Jack Mack and the Heart Attack, .38 Special), guitarist Bruce Kulick (KISS), and Tim Cashion (Bob Seger), as well as the conspicuous absence of Mark Farner - whose own contributions to the entirety of Grand Funk Railroad is in play in this incarnation of GFR - the band is an expertly working model governed by Don Brewer.  It is clearly his drive that keeps Grand Funk Railroad on the tracks.

The set was an abbreviated one as the band opened for The Doobie Brothers.  That limited the potential of this band to deliver a high-powered show with plenty of space for much of their vast collection of material.  But the choices for songs fell on the good side with Grand Funk revisiting classic album cuts like the band’s revered rendition of The Animals’ “Inside Looking Out” and the signature “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home” as well as an impassioned drum solo from Don Brewer, who is father of the world’s most recognized drum intro (“We’re An American Band”). 

The band fleshed out the rest of the set with their popular “Footstompin’ Music” from the excellent E Pluribus Funk album.  The utility song, as well as having been their highest-charting single, “Loco-motion” was played to a receptive crowd, who cheered loudest for GFR at the night’s announcements from “Uncle” Joe Benson, DJ at LA’s KLOS classic rock station.  The other signature singles played by the band included “Some Kind of Wonderful,” where Don Brewer came to the front mike in a mink coat, pounding out time on his sticks before tossing them to the audience, and singing the beginning stanzas before returning to the drum kit for the rest.  The band finished with their best-known song, “We’re An American Band,” with flag and America highly touted, before walking off the stage for good that night.

The songs were played well, certainly recognizable by fans.  Carl’s vocal contributions worked well, contributing to the GFR energy by his own exuberance and his soulful voice, with Kulick’s guitar and Cashion’s keyboards rounding out the fan-known drum style of Brewer and the bass lines of Schacher.  Kulick opened up with several fiery leads, especially doing a great job on “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home.”

I attended this concert, sitting in the front row, right section, with my daughter (26).  Her initiation to Grand Funk came early in her life via my complete collection of GFR music and so she knew most of the songs.  She danced to them all and was pleased to get a pick from Kulick as he flicked them to the audience.  Likewise, my son (22) and his fiancé attended but sat in the grandstand.  He also knows much of Grand Funk’s material and enjoyed the night immensely.  Which goes to show that this present incarnation of Grand Funk Railroad can still make ‘em smile.

Regardless, Mark Farner’s spirit hung transparently over the band.  Although he was not there physically, his presence oozed out of every note of the presented songs.

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