(Orlando FL) Imagine if you will, a spiritual journey taken over the faces of more than 100 percussive pieces of equipment while trekking through the jungle villages of Africa, doing yoga in the corner of a New York subway, and visiting the Dalai Lama while standing next to a breathtaking waterfall... this might put you into the proper frame of mind when attending a drumming showcase as put on by TERRY BOZZIO in Orlando's The Plaza venue on September 4.
Bozzio's most famous for his previous associations with Missing Persons and as the drummer for Frank Zappa. However, Bozzio is a solo performer these days -- quite possibly because the others wouldn't fit into a tour bus with his drumset! Bozzio's most impressive drum kit takes some 3 hours to assemble for each show, and about 1.5 hours to break it all down at the end of the night. It boasts some 9 bass drums, approximately 15 toms, more than 20 pedals, and over 50 cymbals. The publicist invited me to attend Terry's soundcheck and also have a meet and greet with about 15 others immediately prior to the show. I watched his and The Plaza's team mic-check every single piece of percussive equipment to ensure uniformity of volume and elimination of echo. Although each piece was already tuned, I witnessed Bozzio fine-tuning some of the heads in order to meet his high acuity to each drum's tonal quality.
After his extensive soundcheck, Bozzio looked out to the intimate group of fans before him and said, 'Hi, thanks for coming. I'm Terry.' With a smile and quick wave, he came down from the stage to shake hands with each of us. Bozzio acknowledged to us that he didn't usually do meet and greets. I was surprised to see how introverted he was, but was refreshed by his genuine intent to ensure that each of us were satisfied with our meet and greet. Upon shaking the final fan's hand, he looked around and asked, 'does anyone want an autograph?' It seemed that I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard, but within seconds the permanent Sharpie markers emerged, albums and drumheads were pulled out from bags, and Terry made his way around to each of us again. As he made his way around to each of us, a fan pulled out a small camera asking if he could take a photo with Mr. Bozzio. It was now Terry's turn to be surprised, as he took the photo but then said we could take a group photo afterward. He signed some more items and then the next person asked for a photo. Again, Bozzio agreed but then said we could take a group photo afterward. When the third person asked for the photo, it became apparent that every person wanted their solo with the famed drummer. I believe each of us shook his hand, got at least one autograph, and took a solo photo with Mr. Bozzio... and THEN he still wanted to take the group photo! It was a very fun and memorable experience for each of us!
The concert itself was amazing. He performed approximately 5 or 6 pieces which doesn't sound like a lot until you figure that the first song 'Africa' ended after 30 minutes. Sprinkled in between songs, Bozzio would come out to the front of the stage and address the crowd on a personable level. He spoke about his art (which was displayed on the stage behind him and copies of his Frank Zappa caricatures were also on sale in the lobby area), talked about the 'cajon' (pronounced 'Ka-Hone', translates into 'box') that he beat and slapped onstage, and he played his Korg Wavedrum all to the delight of bewildered guests amazed at the musicality of Bozzio and his ability to become one with his kit to effectively and elaborately express the depths of his mind and soul. A Terry Bozzio concert is more of a Terry Bozzio experience in which you get to feel the music and gain a truer insight into the man behind the drums.
By the way, I would highly recommend the 'meet and greet' option with him if it's available in your area. I was surprised by how accessible he made himself to those of us who were fortunate enough to be in that room that evening.
Bozzio's most famous for his previous associations with Missing Persons and as the drummer for Frank Zappa. However, Bozzio is a solo performer these days -- quite possibly because the others wouldn't fit into a tour bus with his drumset! Bozzio's most impressive drum kit takes some 3 hours to assemble for each show, and about 1.5 hours to break it all down at the end of the night. It boasts some 9 bass drums, approximately 15 toms, more than 20 pedals, and over 50 cymbals. The publicist invited me to attend Terry's soundcheck and also have a meet and greet with about 15 others immediately prior to the show. I watched his and The Plaza's team mic-check every single piece of percussive equipment to ensure uniformity of volume and elimination of echo. Although each piece was already tuned, I witnessed Bozzio fine-tuning some of the heads in order to meet his high acuity to each drum's tonal quality.
After his extensive soundcheck, Bozzio looked out to the intimate group of fans before him and said, 'Hi, thanks for coming. I'm Terry.' With a smile and quick wave, he came down from the stage to shake hands with each of us. Bozzio acknowledged to us that he didn't usually do meet and greets. I was surprised to see how introverted he was, but was refreshed by his genuine intent to ensure that each of us were satisfied with our meet and greet. Upon shaking the final fan's hand, he looked around and asked, 'does anyone want an autograph?' It seemed that I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard, but within seconds the permanent Sharpie markers emerged, albums and drumheads were pulled out from bags, and Terry made his way around to each of us again. As he made his way around to each of us, a fan pulled out a small camera asking if he could take a photo with Mr. Bozzio. It was now Terry's turn to be surprised, as he took the photo but then said we could take a group photo afterward. He signed some more items and then the next person asked for a photo. Again, Bozzio agreed but then said we could take a group photo afterward. When the third person asked for the photo, it became apparent that every person wanted their solo with the famed drummer. I believe each of us shook his hand, got at least one autograph, and took a solo photo with Mr. Bozzio... and THEN he still wanted to take the group photo! It was a very fun and memorable experience for each of us!
The concert itself was amazing. He performed approximately 5 or 6 pieces which doesn't sound like a lot until you figure that the first song 'Africa' ended after 30 minutes. Sprinkled in between songs, Bozzio would come out to the front of the stage and address the crowd on a personable level. He spoke about his art (which was displayed on the stage behind him and copies of his Frank Zappa caricatures were also on sale in the lobby area), talked about the 'cajon' (pronounced 'Ka-Hone', translates into 'box') that he beat and slapped onstage, and he played his Korg Wavedrum all to the delight of bewildered guests amazed at the musicality of Bozzio and his ability to become one with his kit to effectively and elaborately express the depths of his mind and soul. A Terry Bozzio concert is more of a Terry Bozzio experience in which you get to feel the music and gain a truer insight into the man behind the drums.
By the way, I would highly recommend the 'meet and greet' option with him if it's available in your area. I was surprised by how accessible he made himself to those of us who were fortunate enough to be in that room that evening.
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