The Rascals pulled into The Palace Theatre on Sunday, November 24th with their beautifully orchestrated Broadway concert to an ecstatic crowd to end their four night run of Upstate New York cities. Playing 31 songs over a span of over two hours, the band showed why they were one of the most influential bands of the 1960s.
“Once Upon A Dream” is not your usual concert. Throughout the show, the history of the band is told on a gigantic video screen between songs by both the band and actors playing younger versions of the band. To be able to see all of these hits and get the group’s history all at once is amazing. Little Steven, best known as one of the guitarists in The E Street Band, helped bring the group back together for this show. It had been his dream for years to see these four great musicians play together again. He is also a history buff when it comes to music, so he made sure that the two were paired together, and it really could not have been better.
The show was split into two sets with the first set getting more of the history of the band from song to song. By the end of the set the band is getting into the big hits, playing “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” right into “Good Lovin’ ” to close out the show. The audience showed their appreciation for Felix Cavaliere, Eddie Brigati, Dino Danelli, and Gene Cornish, giving the group a standing ovation at the conclusion of the set as well as at the beginning of the second one.
The second set saw less video interruption and more musical performance. A major highlight was “How Can I Be Sure” which let Eddie shine on lead vocals. He looked to have been taken aback by the ovation from the crowd. Each member had a chance to shine with Gene doing great guitar work all night, Dino pounding on the drums like a machine, and Felix sounding great vocally and laying down perfection on the keys. They all seemed very excited to be in Albany as they got quite the ovation after their last song “People Got to Be Free (reprise).” They thanked everyone, including those who help put the show on, and then sent the crowd home with “See” capping off a great evening.
The show was supposed to return to Broadway in a few weeks, but it has been cancelled. The band is hoping to reschedule it sometime next year. Once the dates are announced, you would be wise to make sure you get tickets as this show is not to be missed. They may be getting up there in age, but the music is still vibrant and the band is in high spirits throughout the show.
Setlist: Set 1 – It’s Wonderful, I’ve Been Lonely Too Long, What is the Reason, You Better Run, Carry Me Back, Slow Down, Mickey’s Monkey>Turn On Your Lovelight>Mickey’s Monkey (Reprise), Come On Up, Baby Let’s Wait, Too Many Fish in the Sea, If You Knew, Hold On, I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore, Good Lovin’
Set 2 – Good Lovin’ (Reprise), Love is a Beautiful Thing, Groovin’, Do You Feel It, Away Away, It’s a Beautiful Morning, Sueno, Find Somebody, A Girl Like You, It’s Love, How Can I Be Sure, People Got to Be Free, Heaven, A Ray of Hope, People Got to Be Free (Reprise)
Encore – See
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