• Conversations
  • Concert Review
  • New Music Showcase
  • Blues Fix
  • Inside the Cover
  • My Favorite
  • About
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
MisplacedStraws
Subscribe
  • Conversations
  • Concert Review
  • New Music Showcase
  • Blues Fix
  • Inside the Cover
  • My Favorite
  • About
MisplacedStraws
Home » The Verve Pipe, The Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun Casino 1/11/19
Concert Review

The Verve Pipe, The Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun Casino 1/11/19

By Jeff GaudiosiJanuary 12, 2019Updated:May 24, 2021No Comments4 Mins Read
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
Based on their massive 1997 hit The Freshmen you could call The Verve Pipe a “one hit wonder”…but you would severely short change yourself.  The band that took the stage at Mohegan Sun’s Wold Den Friday night was a modern, vibrant rock band that was so much more than one song.
 
photo by: Jeff Gaudiosi

 

 
Frontman Brian Vander Ark is the lone holdover from the band’s original run and has now surrounded himself with a topnotch band that has put out two records (2014’s Overboard and Parachute in 2017) and gelled into a tight live band.  In a conversation with Vander Ark prior to the show, he mentions that the road is mellower place these days free of the lofty expectations that come with being a band on the rise.  They concentrate just on raising the bar for their own live shows and it comes through as you watch them play.

 

Photo by: Jeff Gaudiosi
 
The night began with a 4-pack of memorable songs from the band’s early records and immediately got the crowd to their feet.  Next came the first cover of the night, a unique take on Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear The Reaper which really showcased not only the musicianship of the band but the stunning vocal interplay between Vander Ark, backup vocalist Channing Lee and guitarist Lou Musa (also in full display on the set-closing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain).
Photo by: Jeff Gaudiosi

 

 
Vander Ark surmises that about 25% of the band’s live audience are people that were there in the 90’s and grew with the band, the rest are people that may know The Freshman or Photograph and just want to check the band out.  Even if you are there just for one song you can’t help but get caught up in the energy of the band, midway through the set no one was left sitting, the true mark of a great live band.

 

 
As the set began to wind down it was time for The Freshmen.  Nearly everyone had their phones out to capture  the moment.  A few seconds into the song it was clear that this wasn’t just another recital of the “big hit”.  The song had an energy and an urgency to Vander Ark’s vocal that made the song seem as fresh now as it was when it ruled the airwaves in 1997.  Vander Ark says he still has a great relationship with the song that made him famous.  He says he’s still happy to play it each night and that having such a big hit in the set allows the band to try out new or lesser known material around it.
Photo by: Jeff Gaudiosi
 
One thing that is evident seeing the 2019 edition of The Verve Pipe is that nearly 30 years after starting the band in East Lansing, MI, Brian Vander Ark is totally comfortable with who he and his band are and that his voice is just as pristine as ever.  During our talk prior to the show we discussed the track Wallflower off of the last record Parachute and how, at least to my ears, it comes across lyrically as sort of the adult response to The Freshmen.  Soon, Brian grabbed his guitar and performed an impromptu acoustic version of the song showcasing his amazing voice.
 
The may only have the one huge hit (as well as a few others with Hero, Photograph and Colorful from the Rock Star soundtrack) but they are still a band to be reckoned with.  They are just beginning a short East Coast run so be sure to catch them when they are in your area, you won’t be disappointed. 

 

Share. Facebook Twitter Tumblr Email
Jeff Gaudiosi

Related Posts

Dream Theater, Toyota Oakdale Theater, Wallingford, CT 3/14/25

March 15, 2025

Joe Bonamassa, Premier Theater at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT, 3/1/25

March 2, 2025

Howard Jones/ABC, College Street Music Hall, New Haven, CT 2/26/25

February 27, 2025

Bret Michaels, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT, 2/7/25

February 8, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Archive
  • May 2025 (6)
  • April 2025 (10)
  • March 2025 (7)
  • February 2025 (9)
  • January 2025 (8)
  • December 2024 (8)
  • November 2024 (6)
  • October 2024 (7)
  • September 2024 (6)
  • August 2024 (10)
  • July 2024 (10)
  • June 2024 (7)
  • May 2024 (10)
  • April 2024 (10)
  • March 2024 (12)
  • February 2024 (9)
  • January 2024 (13)
  • December 2023 (9)
  • November 2023 (10)
  • October 2023 (8)
  • September 2023 (18)
  • August 2023 (15)
  • July 2023 (14)
  • June 2023 (7)
  • May 2023 (17)
  • April 2023 (15)
  • March 2023 (17)
  • February 2023 (19)
  • January 2023 (13)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (19)
  • September 2022 (19)
  • August 2022 (19)
  • July 2022 (22)
  • June 2022 (22)
  • May 2022 (27)
  • April 2022 (49)
  • March 2022 (11)
  • February 2022 (9)
  • January 2022 (7)
  • December 2021 (5)
  • November 2021 (8)
  • October 2021 (10)
  • September 2021 (7)
  • August 2021 (7)
  • July 2021 (7)
  • June 2021 (7)
  • May 2021 (5)
  • April 2021 (6)
  • March 2021 (8)
  • February 2021 (7)
  • January 2021 (6)
  • December 2020 (8)
  • November 2020 (9)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • August 2020 (5)
  • July 2020 (6)
  • June 2020 (5)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (4)
  • March 2020 (5)
  • February 2020 (7)
  • January 2020 (3)
  • December 2019 (6)
  • November 2019 (2)
  • October 2019 (9)
  • September 2019 (3)
  • August 2019 (9)
  • July 2019 (6)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (5)
  • April 2019 (8)
  • March 2019 (4)
  • February 2019 (3)
  • January 2019 (4)
  • December 2018 (4)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • October 2018 (4)
  • September 2018 (4)
  • August 2018 (4)
  • July 2018 (8)
  • June 2018 (6)
  • May 2018 (6)
  • April 2018 (3)

Subscribe to Misplaced Straws

* indicates required

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Vimeo YouTube
© 2025 Misplaced Straws.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.