TAYLOR HICKS KEEPS IT REAL IN A LATE NIGHT SAN JOSE CLUB SHOW
Two hours after he sang in front of 17,000 people at HP Pavilion, American Idol winner Taylor Hicks played guitar and harmonica and sang for about 150 devoted fans in an after midnight "surprise" San Jose club show that was about as secret as the giant searchlights painting the sky out front.
In what one Los Angeles writer has called the "new Rat Pack," Hicks and other Idol finalists have been stopping by nightclubs after their arena shows, and fans from as far away as Barbados have been following the tour to catch a glimpse or an autograph.
They weren't disappointed in San Jose, where Hicks ran through a medley of soul and funk hits, for an audience that was about 85 percent female, while flashbulbs popped and video cameras ran.
"There's something about this year, with the variety and genres of music that has brought in a variety of people, young and old," said Modesto accountant Alice Pierson, 53, who stood in line outside Club Angel four hours before Hicks took the stage. "It's renewed an interest in music for the Baby Boomers."
She, like others, said she was impressed with Hicks's "charisma, looks and voice.
Hicks was backed by the Birmingham, Ala., quintet LiMBO, with whom he played before he won the jackpot on America's biggest televised talent show, a show that not only draws tens of millions of viewers, but reportedly gathers more voters than the presidential election.
Marcy Feldman, 46, a Los Angeles-based independent consultant for television programming, caught the band in Birmingham and LA, and has enjoyed it even when Hicks didn't show up.
"Their energy is amazing," she said. "You can't sit still. I'm stuck in the seventies. I love Billy Joel and Michael McDonald. There is nothing in the last 15 years that has interested me. But this has brought me back to music."
Pierson and Feldman are part of the fan club known as Soul Patrol, which supports Hicks and his band of funk, soul and blues musicians on the Internet at sites such as www.taylorhicks2006.com...
It is also, said Less, what the band members were in while they waited for nine months to see if their 29-year-old prematurely grey-haired singer would win the contest.
"This is home for Taylor, the clubs," said the band's manager, Dean Sanders, who came up with the idea of the tour. "Well, not this one, because this is nice, but most of the clubs we play in are dives and honky tonks. That's where Taylor grew up playing."
While most of the other Idol winners come off as glorified karaoke singers, Hicks earned his degree from the musician's school of hard knocks, before playing for Simon Cowell and Ford commercials, spending years honing his chops in smoky bars on the touring circuit.
Before Idol, the band charged an $8 cover. After Idol, it got $35 to play the Viper Room in Los Angeles and $25 or $30 in San Jose.
"We're trying to keep our heads in all this," said Less, 29, who had never signed an autograph before this tour, and spent 30 minutes signing after the first show in Washington, D.C.
"We're going to be smart, and number one, we're going to play our asses off and we're going to play from the heart. We supported Taylor through this Idol process and now he is supporting us.''
The band members said they were surprised that they are now recognized on the street.
"This Internet is phenomenal," said Less. "It cast all of this. Thank you Soul Patrol."
The band's set included New Orleans covers like "In the Right Place," and blues such as "Deep Elem Blues," "Whipping Post" as well as Elton John's "Get Back Honky Cat" and "Take Me to the Pilot" sparked by Less's excellent singing and playing.
Hicks, who was less impressive on the small stage than on the small screen, led them through a set that included J.J. Cale's "They Call Me the Breeze," Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man'' and Eric Clapton's "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?"
The band was tight, but no more so than most Las Vegas cover bands. Without the Idol exposure, Hicks's performance this night would have been lost in the crowd of anonymous bar bands.
On TV however, his matted finish and Southern charm stood out compared to the shiny gloss around him. The charisma just didn't translate during this short set.
(Photo: Olivia Castro)
Sunnyvale's Jeff Buckingham, the 63-year-old brother of Fleetwood Mac's guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was impressed with the Idols' HP show. His wife Ronda got the tickets as a Mother's Day present.
"My wife picked Taylor from the beginning, but I didn't think he had the best voice," he said. He was surprised by the arena show, which wasn't garish and simply showcased the Idols' talents.
Less impressed was Castro Valley's David Castro, who took his wife Olivia, 32, to the club shows in San Jose and L.A.
"You gotta do what you gotta do," he said. "
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