Frank Zappa/APOSTROPHE/DiscReet (The hallmark of Zappa music, no matter how sane or insane it becomes, is conspicuously tight playing. This album is no exception. Incredible material and strong performances all sprinkled with the crazies - we've been Zapped again.)

KKFM/Colorado Springs, Colo. - Michael Birdsong
Artist(s): FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION
Place & Date: Colorado Springs - March 21
Type of Place: Acoustically horrible city auditorium
Ticket Price: $5.00 advance, $ 6.00 at door
Capacity: 2,100
Attendance: 3/4
Pre-concert Promo: Medium radio... no printed
Sound Quality and Other Prod. Values: Zappa carries a 1/4 million $$$$ worth of lights and sound. His light and sound men are as much a part of the group as any of the musicians. Flawless lighting that exploded on each of the nine musicians with precise timing and optimum dramatic effect. Supberb!
Reviewer's Reaction: I went with no expectation of being "freaked out" in the traditional Zappa sense. My anticipation of musical perfection in the jazz-rock genre was well founded. "Tight" is hardly the word to describe the interplay of Frank's group. Napoleon, the lead singer, is only overshadowed by the omnipresence of the head Mother.
Audience Reaction: A few cries of "boogie" from the usual assholes who attend a "scene" not a concert. Otherwise, an appreciative audience who left the crummy auditorium full of good music.

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WHFS/ Washington, D. C. - David Einstein
Artist(s): FRANK ZAPPA
Place & Date: Constitution Hall, Wash. , D. C.
Type of Place: Concert hall
Ticket Price: $4. 50, $5.50, $6. 50
Capacity: 3,700 seats per show
Attendance: Sold out 2 shows
Pre-concert Promo: Newspaper/radio
Sound Quality and Other Prod. Values: Sound quality was good - but not up to the musicianship.
Reviewer's Reaction: George Duke playing "Uncle Remus" was too much for me!
Audience Reaction: As well as his die-hard-fans, Zappa is now attracting a much younger audience - who ran around in front of the stage singing "Poodle Bites - Poodle Chews It" but the concert was a real good time for everybody!

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WJBO-FM/Jimmy Beyer
Artist(s): FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS; TOM WAITS
Place & Date: St. Bernard Civic Auditorium - July 15 New Orleans
Type of Place: A large auditorium used for just about anything - this is the first concert I had ever attended there and wasn't expecting much because of what people had told me, but I thought it was nice.
Ticket Price: $5.00
Capacity: 4,500
Attendance: Between 2,000 & 2,500
Pre-concert Promo: Word-of-mouth in Baton Rouge
Sound Quality and Other Prod. Values: Not as good as I expected, I had always heard Zappa's sound was the best around, but this night it had a lot of feedback.
Reviewer's Reaction: It was like a dream, really - going to see my long-time hero Frank Zappa. When we got there all The Mothers were out on the stage warming up, getting s oun d checks, and talking to the audience. Then Zappa came out did a sound check and talked for awhile. He was just as I expected - someone from the audience yelled out " Turn the lights out" to which he replied "We'll turn the lights out when we get everything ready, then you can pretend you went to a real rock & roll show." Then someone came up and offered him a gift to which he said "No, no, that's for children."
Tom Waits came out and did a sound check and it was time for the show. I had trouble enjoying Tom Waits because I couldn't understand what he was saying, plus I was looking forward to Zappa. But by the end of his set I was enjoying it. I would like to see him again when I don't have something else on my mind. Zappa came out dedicated his first song to John's Dog and it was time to start. He opened up with "Cosmik Debris" and from that time on I just sat, watched and really enjoyed myself.
The Mothers put on quite a show and the music is just one part of it. The light show is probably the best I have seen, plus the movements on stage are very entertaining. The band is very tight - George Duke makes some unbelievable sounds and Ruth Underwood is amazing. Ruth missed one solo that she was supposed to do and Zappa calmly walked up to the mike and said "Ruth Underwood, ladies & gentlemen." They did a good combination of new and old music - the outstanding new song being "Penguin in Bondage." After about an hour and a half set they left but of course came back for an encore. The encore consisted of a cut from Freak Out ( I can't remember the name) into "Camarillo Brillo" and then "Apostrophe." As something a little bit extra an old New Orleans Dixieland Band came out to play behind "Apostrophe" with a tuba doing the base line. It was quite a show and only went to further prove my theory that Zappa is the best guitar player in the world.
Audience Reaction: They seemed to really enjoy Tom Waits and he was called back for an encore. The Zappa freaks really enjoyed the whole thing. But it was funny to hear the people that just went because it was a rock concert talk. A lot of the people didn't really know what to expect and what they got was just a little over their heads.

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Frank Zappa - Mothers/ROXY & ELSEWHERE/DiscReet 2 DS 2202 ( Zappa's cosmic originality is on display again. Conquering
his musical complexities in a live setting is extraordinary, indicative of the quality attained.)

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Frank Zappa & The Mothers/APOSTROPHE & ROXY & ELSEWHERE/DiscReet (Zappa continues to evolve a sound which is accessible to the audience and extraordinarily sophisticat ed at the same time. He couldn't pull it off with players of even slightly less quality. Maybe that is why it is with set of Mothers that he has made it so resoundingly. He proves it can be done.)  

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NEW HAVEN WPLR-FM/ GORDON WEINGARTH
AApril 18th: Frank Zappa & Capt. Beefheart dropped by and stayed for 2 hours. They spoke a little (I was almost speechless outa hero-worship) and they played us some of the most incredible acetates we've ever heard. They treated our audience to the next Lp (which is amazing power music recorded with Beefheart singing and playing as an integral part of the band) and the one after that. Watch for albums in June & December. The phones went crazy during their visit. Two dozen people came down to see them. Hell, we all went crazy.

WPLR/New Haven, Conn. - George Scheibner
Artist(s): FRANK ZAPPA/MOTHERS including CAPTAIN BEEFHEART
Place & Date: New Haven Coliseum - April 18
Type of Place: Smoke-filled cave
Ticket Price: $6.50
Capacity: 11,000
Attendance: 6,500 - 7,000
Pre-concert Promo: Papers, radio
Sound Quality and Other Prod. Values: MMuddy and echoey - lacking clear high end. (Certainly a letdown by Zappa standards.)
Reviewer's Reaction: Frank Zappa and the latest band of Mothers have yet to gell into a solid group. Captain Beefheart is certainly an interesting addition, but The Mothers have yet to find a way to effectively mix their Zappa-Brock-Beefheart vocal combination. This was the first performance of the present Zappa tour, which undoubtedly contributed a bit to the confusion. Aside from a passable "Stinkfoot," "Uncle Remus," and "I'm Not Satisfied" (from Freak Out); the concert consisted mainly of long blues-flavored jams spiced with occasion ally recognizable bits of "Echidna's Arf," "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?" and earlier Mothers material. Some nice solo work, but none of the super well-rehearsed tightness of the Roxy/Elsewhere performances (bring back Ruth!). Titles of the new material were lost in the muddy sound system and coliseum acoustics, but I'm sure their performances will improve as the tour progresses and this version of The Mothers finds itself. One good-timey '50s style rocker was a real toe tapper.
Audience Reaction: Generally attentive though, I suspect, waiting for the familiar Overnite/Apostrophe/Roxy material which never came. Reaction was restrained till the end. Au encore resolved into "Willie the Pimp."

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ACRN/Athens, Ohio Glenn Arkin and Steve Pofcher
Artist(s): FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS
Place & Date: Charleston Civic Center - Sunday May 4
Type of Place: Arena
Ticket Price: $5.00 advance, $ 6.00 at the door
Capacity: 7,000
Attendance: 5,500
Pre-concert Promo: Posters, radio, newspapers
Sound Quality and Other Prod, Values: Sound quality was excellent. Used strobe lights in a very dynomite way.
Reviewer's Reaction: Zappa and The Mothers played for two hours with special guest star Captain Beefheart. They opened with "Montana" then did the new album One Size Fits All. Then surprisingly did "I'm Not Satisfied," then to "Camarillo Brillo" and for an encore "Willy the Pimp."
Audience Reaction: With Zappa cooking on guitar and conducting The Mothers perfectly; the audience loved it.

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