Zappa Plays Zappa

On December 15, 2006, Dweezil Zappa appeared in concert at the Nokia Theatre in Grand Prairie, Texas.  Appearing with him were members of the Mothers of Invention from the 70's and 80's.  From my personal favorite album, Roxy & Elsewhere, Napolean Murphy Brock wailed on the reeds and absolutely nailed the vocals.  Believe me when I say that his voice has lost nothing in the 33 years since that album was recorded.  Terry Bozzio, from the 80's version of the Mothers, got a terrific aerobic workout on a magnificent set of trap drums.  I don't know how tired he was afterwards, but I was spent just from watching.  And of course Steve Vai was, . . . well, . . . Steve Vai.  What else can I say.  The man tears it up on a guitar.

This was a terrific concert that lasted almost 4 hours, non-stop.  If I could have hand picked the set lists myself, I could not have done a better job.  I heard almost every song that I dared hope to hear, all the way from the Freak Out album through some of Frank's last work.  If you are still a Frank Zappa fan as am I, or if you ever were a Frank Zappa fan, you really missed out.  This was an unbelievably tight band that really wailed on some of Frank's best stuff.

I believe that Frank's musical legacy is alive and well the talented hands of Dweezil.  While he has his own musical style, it is easy to hear the influence of his father.  There were times during this concert when I felt just like I did when I first heard some of this music over 30 years ago.  At the end of the concert Dweezil disclosed that Zappa Plays Zappa could become an annual event, reuniting other members of the various versions of the Mothers of Invention.  So if you are or were a Frank Zappa fan, or you think you might be a Frank Zappa fan, or if you are just willing to learn, get out and show Dweezil and the guys some major support and let's make this an annual event.  Finally, after all of these years, we may be on the cusp of a new generation of Zappa artistry.

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