I am curious

In the news in the last couple of days is word that Velvet Revolver and lead singer Scott Weiland have parted.

Of course, that hardly qualifies as news. It seemed inevitable.

Velvet Revolver played the big outdoor tent at our local casino in the summer of 2005. I went to see that show, curious about what a supergroup is like these days. It was a great show, even though I don’t really care for either Guns N’ Roses or Stone Temple Pilots, the bands that spawned VR. Weiland has a remarkable stage presence, and Slash can really play guitar.

Later this week, tickets go on sale for another show I’m going to see, again mostly out of curiosity.

Kid Rock is playing our local arena in about six weeks. Some of his stuff I like. Some I don’t. But I’m going to check it out anyway. I want to see how he pulls off that mix of rock, rap and R&B.

An added bonus is that Peter Wolf, once the lead singer in the J. Geils Band, is one of the co-starring acts. He, like Kid Rock, appreciates and taps into vintage American rock and R&B.

Our local indie newspaper reported recently that Wolf stole the show with some of those old J. Geils tunes when they played in Milwaukee earlier this year. I’m not surprised.

I drove two hours to see the J. Geils Band live in Milwaukee on Jan. 30, 1982, as they opened the second leg of a long tour to support “Freeze Frame.” It was ridiculously cold outside and impossibly steamy inside the Riverside Theater as we waited … and waited for the band to take the stage. The show was well worth the wait, energetic almost beyond description.

If you wonder why Peter Wolf is on the same bill with Kid Rock (and Rev. Run of Run-DMC), this tune ought to give you some idea.

“Must Of Got Lost,” the J. Geils Band, from “Blow Your Face Out,” 1976. Recorded live in Boston and Detroit in the same week of November 1975. One of the best live albums ever.