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A tight short performance to
what looks like an annual friendly
MasterCard crowd seemed to be a big hit in Westport. Band harmonies were strong
throughout and even IRONMAN seemed to be impressed with the band's vocals.
Audience requests again became a big hit with Sweet Home Alabama/Werewolves of
London, Back in Black and Free Bird being the singalong standouts.
Bill Greene took MVP honors
for a great performance (I actually don't remember any missed words or mistakes
throughout the entire evening!) and Paul Abouchon
and a rare WITE LITE appearance by Bob Horner of
IRONMAN again demonstrated why these
guys are the best with an outstanding mix and light show.
The band hit a new milestone
playing it's first 50th birthday for Cindy Reeg at the Missouri Bluffs. A crowd
of Cindy and Rob's family and friends had a good time and though the band was
requested to turn down three times in the first set, they eventually won the
crowd over with a few slow songs and a strong second set. Click
here for the set list as best I can remember
it. Debuting Butch Walker's "The Taste
of Red", the band also added Steve Miller's "The Joker" and an audience request
section in the third set that included snippets of Blackbird, China Grove, Tush, Good Times
Bad Times, I'm on Fire, Take it Easy, Pink Houses (with guest vocalist Mike
Rethorn), Joy to the World, Rock Candy, You Shook Me All Night Long, Rock n Roll
Hoochie Koo, Sweet
Emotion and Walk this Way. Paul Abouchon of
IRONMAN sound again provided an
outstanding mix battling the dreaded Missouri Bluffs stairs and power challenges
early on in the night which is why they are the exclusive provider of WITE LITE
sound in St. Louis County. MVP honors were shared across the band and Paul who
all provided strong performances throughout the evening.
Given the presence of lawyers
in the room, the soundalikes of Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London may
result in posthumous litigation and the band is looking at another December gig
to round out 2006. Stay tuned and Happy Birthday Cindy!
Playing outside of the St.
Louis area for the first time in years, WITE LITE brought it's 2006 tour to Lake
of the Ozarks in honor of Tom Greene's election as President of the
Missouri Optometrists Association. Kevin Finnegan flew in for the occasion and
was strong throughout, slowly weening himself away from the lamp and music
stand. The band also debuted a new look - sparkling monogrammed bowling
shirts that will be used in all upcoming bowling alley gigs and depending on
demand, may be added to the band's merchandise store.
Opening with Tom Greene on
vocals for I Fought the Law the band played two strong sets (other than a
horrific version of Rock and Roll All Nite) that had the friendly crowd on it's
feet throughout the 3 hour event. A strong mix by
Will West Music (a departure from IRONMAN
sound given the location) as well as a light show added to the overall WITE LITE
experience. Click here for the complete setlist as best I can remember it.
Afterwards the band settled
back in the presidential suite to celebrate a strong outing. Congratulations
Tom!!
 
WOW! Other than Jefferson Airplane, it
seemed like WITE LITE covered the 60's and 70's last night. Again playing 50
Songs, WITE LITE played one of its favorite gigs of the year at the annual
Rock n Bowla. The gig featured many guest vocal appearances including John
Hertel who returned to sing Suffragette City, a few Zeppelin covers and provide
harmony vocals throughout the evening as well as Joel (Sweet Home Alabama, Come
Together, Takin Care of Business) Mike (Cadillac Ranch) and another spirited
performance of Twist and Shout. It was clearly the most Karaoke session the band
has played though the crowd enjoyed the event. Scott (a new name) from
IRONMAN sound provided a very strong
mix and took MVP honors (even though the light show was delayed) as a result of
a good monitor mix and a very strong house mix (Thanks Scott!!)
The band was very relaxed in the first set inserting many ad-libs which made for
a fresh sound. Tom Greene was vocally strong on Apolitical Blues and War Pigs
and Bill Greene was outstanding on drums and vocally throughout the night,
coming up slightly short of MVP due to offstage antics. Click
here for
the set list as best I can remember it.
Thanks again to Smitty and Arlene for throwing a great end of summer party!
After 5 years, we feel like we know these people! The Missouri Optometrists
Association were also in attendance scouting the band for the upcoming October
gig. In the words of John Lennon "I hope we passed the audition"!
WITE LITE played a
United Way benefit at Kiener Plaza on
a hot Saturday afternoon to a crowd of about 100 people who had worked the
morning. Including the sound check (I Fought the Law and Can't Explain) the band
played a short 14 song set (Mary Jane, Cinnamon Girl, Hard to Handle, Apolitical
Blues, Fire, Back in the USSR, Hymn 43, I Saw Her Standing There, Sweet Home
Alabama, Werewolves of London, End of the World and I am the Walrus) before the
heat sent most of the crowd packing. Mixing duties were handled by Brian (IRONMAN
sound was not available) and the band received a certificate of appreciation for
donating their services. Portions of the set were captured by the local news
which all band members are frantically trying to obtain.
Celebrating Raffaele Gatti's
graduation from DeSmet, WITE LITE played a very strong 3 set show at Saratoga
Lanes. Playing 50 songs (click here
for complete Setlist), and with the Wizard in attendance, the band put on on one
of their best shows in recent memory thanks to an outstanding mix by Paul Abouchon
of
IRONMAN again. From the infinite
delays at the end of Play that Funky Music to the Zeppelin ending, these guys
again demonstrated why WITE LITE only uses them for performances (Paul - you
need to get to Lake of the Ozarks in October!)
The band opened with American
Idiot to show the largely younger crowd that they knew recent material though
requests for Trivium were largely ignored.
A weak When We Were Younger solo put Manchisi behind in the MVP honors early
though the crowd seemed to enjoy the Tom Petty material and asked for more
prompting the band to revisit the Petty setlist for upcoming gigs. Apolitical
Blues was the set's standout with Tom Greene supplying the best performance of
the tune in recent memory. Bill Greene was also strong in supplying most of the
first set vocals.
The second set opened with
Birthday for Wendy Greene and when Tom "spread Satan's wings" on War Pigs, MVP
honors were virtually wrapped up. Little Wing and Fire were also standouts in
the second set as was John Hertel's performance of Honky Tonk Woman, quite a departure
from the Stephen Greene guest vocals the band has seen.
After Jeff Gatti and friends
performed Johnny Cash's Hurt, Simple Man and original (yes it's the new
generation), Zach Manchisi opened the 3rd set with Roadhouse Blues and performed
4 tunes, including resurrecting Jack Daniels Blues complete with a bottle of Old
#7! Rock and Roll all Nite seemed to have the crowd's interest, though key
challenges prompted Paul to bang on the mixer as if there was a technical
problem. John's return for Suffragette City and Sweet Home Alabama set the stage
for an unrehearsed Led Zeppelin tribute that included Heartbreaker (complete
with guitar solo), Livin Lovin Maid, Stairway to Heaven and Good Times Bad Times
which closed the evening. Though many in the crowd believed Manchisi's Page
impersonations catapulted him to the MVP spot for the night, this writer is not
convinced. Overall, an
outstanding performance by the band that will be talked about for days (or at
least hours!)
In a benefit for
Life Skills as part of the "Walk
Run-n-Roll", WITE LITE played outside on a beautiful Saturday morning.
The band started off a little
slow (it was 8:30AM) and it looked troubling when they were told to turn down
after the soundcheck version of Somethin' Else (one of the quieter tunes the
band plays). However, the band quickly got into their groove and introduced two
new Hendrix tunes in their entirety (Little Wing and Fire) as part of the set
list. No MVP honors to give today other than to Tanya, who asked for a t-shirt
and to have her picture taken with the band, not realizing she made our day more
than we made hers! Bill Greene , recovering from a basketball finger injury was
solid though his I am the Walrus remix without notifying the band caused some
challenges on 3 occasions throughout the song. Other notables were snippets of
Don't Fear the Reaper which seemed to have selected crowd interest and Bill
Greene's "Don't Pull Your Hamstring" revision of the Hamilton, Joe Frank and
Reynolds classic. Special thanks to Bob Horner
of
IRONMAN for coming out early and
providing a great mix.
Favorable reviews from the crowd and inquiries as to future gigs
made the band realize they were at a loss for marketing materials with Tom
Greene writing the website location to many with a Blue Sharpie!
Click on the
Life Skills logo or hyperlink to
learn more about this great organization!
Inspired on the 25th
Anniversary of John Lennon's tragic death, WITE LITE played to a friendly
MasterCard crowd at a private event in Clayton. The band was very strong
throughout the night playing a long single set for the corporate gig, and
debuting new songs such as Stories in Your Eyes
and Good Times while also including snippets of I Want You to Want Me, Lola,
Little Wing, Good Times Bad Times, and Sweet Emotion, which turned out to be the
highlight of the evening.
The Grinch also was a big hit
for the holiday event and the Lennon dedication (I Am The Walrus) was very
strong though John may have been rolling over as Bill butchered the lyrics to All
I've Got To Do ("Whenever I Call You Up Yeah"??????).
Tom Greene took MVP honors
for a great performance and simply for making the drive from Jeff City on a snowy day only to return home
that same evening!! Paul Abouchon
of
IRONMAN again demonstrated why these
guys are the best with an outstanding mix and light show, even though the band
did not have time for a soundcheck.
Playing their first "non private party"
gig in years, WITE LITE brought its diverse selection of tunes to Ma Gees. The
evening started off tense as a private party for a local Rugby team pushed into
the 8:00 PM start time. None of the rugby team seemed to be thrilled with paying
the cover charge and tension ensued (including a rare display of emotion from
Bill Greene!)
With that event behind them, the band
performed three sets though were a bit sloppy throughout the night. No band
member received MVP (Manchisi turned off the horn section in Brandy, Tom was
challenged with Cinnamon Girl and Fight for Your Right, Bill's unannounced drum
solo before Rock n Roll All Nite and Kev inviting Steve Greene for Honky Tonk
Woman at a public event were all grounds for disqualification) and the honor was
shared between Paul Abouchon
of
IRONMAN who again provided an
outstanding mix and light show and Katie Ventura who desperately tried to get a
crowd to the dance floor.
(Click here for the SETLIST)
First set standouts included Yer Blues
and Mary Jane and the band called an audible and surprised Manchisi with a
rendition of Birthday in the second set. The third set included a rough version
of Live and Let Die and Plush and strong versions of Zappa tunes, as well as a
reprise of American Idiot. A strong turnout from MasterCard, Fidelity and
Brian's soccer team helped give the appearance of a packed house for the event
(Thanks to all who came!!)
The band will look to the private party
circuit in December before evaluating offers for a 2006 tour.
 
Playing 50 Songs (many more
than once!) , WITE LITE again rocked Saratoga Lanes last night at the annual
Rock n Bowla. The band opened with American Idiot (one of the few songs played
that is not more than 20 years old!) and continued trough a strong first set
which closed with I am the Walrus. Rich and Tim from
IRONMAN sound provided a very strong
mix and the band was in very good form throughout the evening.
Requests to turn down were largely ignored as the band opened the second set
with War Pigs, a tune usually reserved as the evening closer. Once through the
Ramones tunes, the band went into Free Fallin (a new one) and then the legendary
70's selections that have earned the band the reputation as having the most
diverse set list in St. Louis. Click here for
the set list as best I can remember it.
The third set included many guest vocalists, and Smitty calling audibles to the
set list which included a reprise of 5 tunes from the second set, Please, Please
Me and Can't Explain.
Manchisi earned MVP honors for calling Buttercup in the second set and the
"We're Not Gonna Take It" chant during the Please, Please Me solo though the
band was all in strong form.
A November gig at McGee's is in its early planning stages and a DVD from the
Saratoga show is currently in the works.
In a prelude to Mary and Tom
Greene's 50th Anniversary Party, WITE LITE played a two set performance at the
WestPointe Clubhouse Friday to what was largely a family crowd. Band presence
was strong with both Kevin and Zach (and families) flying in for the event.
Kevin provided strong rhythm work and vocals on Folsom Prison Blues and When the
Whip Comes Down while Zach performed a 3 song medley of Fire, Heartbreak Hotel
and Roadhouse Blues.
No broken strings this
time, though Manchisi's performance was clearly affected by Singapore jet lag
and Bud Lights. The second set opener of American Idiot ("cluck America") went
over extremely well with the younger audience though both of Manchisi's
sons commented on the sloppiness of the guitar solo. Click
here for the complete
set list.
The second set also
featured an American Idol contest with Steve Greene's Honky Tonk Woman ousting
John Manchisi's Sweet Home Alabama (it must have been the dancing) and Dana
Greene and Margaret Manchisi also competing (though no winner was ever chosen).
Bill Greene took MVP honors
with a very strong vocal night and IRONMAN sound again provided sound duties.
Snippets of Good Times, Bad Times also seemed to go over well with the crowd
(too bad we don't play the whole song) and the band closed with a blistering
version of Fight for your Right to Party.
Look for an upcoming gig in
August.
Clearly moving up in the
world and playing to one of their larger crowds, WITE LITE completed a strong 3
set performance for CFD ("Carolyn's Farewell Day" or other meaningful
abbreviations!) . Thanks to Jim Whalen, the band played in their most
prestigious venue to date (flanked by salmon and a pasta bar!). The I Fought the
Law opener started a strong first set which closed with Birthday (yes I believe
there was one in the crowd!) and I Am the Walrus. (Click
here for the complete set list)
The second set was most
diverse, opening with Ramones standards and then moving back to the 70's which
opened up the dance floor. A broken string during Don't Pull Your Love was the
only problem though the song went on without many noticing. All band members
were strong and Manchisi fought off a cold to give a reasonably strong
performance thanks to Paul Abouchon
of
IRONMAN providing
a "stellar" (yes stellar) mix.
By special request, the
band opened the third set with War Pigs and also included Tell Me Where to Go
(which maybe only one or two in the crowd would have recognized) and continued
on well past the planned setlist to include songs like Twist and Shout,
Werewolves of London, Sweet Home Alabama, Brown Eyed Girl and Smoke on the Water
(with guest vocalist Mike Rethorn). The band also played two Zappa songs back to
back which the MasterCard friendly audience seemed to enjoy and will also work
on Rock Candy (I promise Mike!). Look for another
gig in the next few months which includes the full band and wear those T-shirts
proudly!
Though the event began with
"What Happens Here Stays Here", any pictures from the event can be forwarded to
witelite@mac.com
and will be posted here.
Best of luck Carolyn and
hope everyone had fun! I certainly enjoyed playing the event!
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