The Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra have been bringing their tribute concerts to the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts for a few years now. Last night’s tribute to The Who, David Bowie, Queen, and Led Zeppelin was a smashing success. Not only did the URO sell out the Regent, they put on one hell of a concert.
There wasn’t a weak member among the four piece band or the three male lead vocalists or the five female lead vocalists. Proving that there is no such thing as a “sideman,” bass player Doug Crawford provided a smooth and solid backbone for all of the classic rock favorites performed. Crawford was especially impressive on The Who classics, which required he play in that beyond low end realm, taking the bass into melodic territory with the busy techniques John Entwhistle laid down all those decades ago. Crawford had the sophisticated John Deacon material down pat in the Queen material, notably the lolling “Killer Queen. Unquestionably, Crawford played his walloping low end on the money during the Led Zeppelin numbers too, the swaying hippie vibe of “Misty Mountain Hop” to the orgiastic frenzy of “Whole Lotta Love.”
Opening number “Won’t Get Fooled Again” found the band in sharp focus with primal rock energy. They didn’t just play it well. They played it with the raw passion needed to convince the audience of their street cred. The lead guitar break from Matt Sullivan was incisive and incendiary “Behind Blues Eyes” got a tasteful application of acoustic guitar rhythms from vocalist Sal Clemente while the five part harmony brought each chorus to three-dimensional life. Crawford’s bass run was the glue that kept the whole song tightly framed in a snug groove. “Who Are You?” found the rugged vocals of Kyle Martin ably riding the terrain of this sprawling rocker with his belts and sustains. Martin moved around like Edgar Allen Poe on steroids. Lead guitarist Sullivan played the twitchy melodic phrases until the rhythms section exploded into a huge wave of groove.
Next up was a set of David Bowie classics. “Space Oddity” got its proper vocal filling from the quirky timbre of Anthony Correia and the svelte timbre of female lead vocalist Emily Belastock. The sound was nicely orchestrated and textured during the myriad of spiraling notes that made up this song.” “Moonage Daydream” gave Yasmin Solomon room to strut her vocal stuff. “Ziggy Stardust” was played with a fulsome sound. The funky keyboard work of Ernie Cataldo gave Bowie’s “Fame” a believable energy with its snazzy progressions over a steady charismatic stomp from the rhythm section. Drummer Alan Ware kept a nice, expansive pound going on during this song’s twists and turns.
The Queen numbers featured vitality in the all the vocal work, and that had to be a workout, even if the performers made it look easy. “Killer Queen” featured three killer women singers Christie Beaulieu, Emily Belastock, Linda Twiss-Gioscia who, individually or as a trio, made you follow the lilting vocal melody. “Under Pressure” gave Crawford a moment to come up front to show how well he can keep a nimble bass line going. Sal Clemente had a svelte take on the Queen-Bowie match up and Fatima Elmi’s raspy, rangy timbre rode her vocal melody lines like an expert glider, up and away on a gust of wind, then slowly descending.
Special youth guest stars from Arlington Catholic Drama Club, or AC/DC for short, fresh off a performance of “Tommy,” brought an extra layer of zesty chorus to The Who classic “Pinball Wizard.” The kids from AC/DC boosted “I’m Free” into a pop rock feast for the ears with their additional vocals coupled with the URO chorus.
The second set began with The Beatles eerie, eccentric classic “I Am The Walrus.” Its wide expansive reach was augmented by two keyboardists(including singer Christine Beaulieu) creating the wall of mysterious, surrealistic sounds. It was just one of those accurate, enveloping renditions that had the power to mesmerize a full house. “Helter Skelter” got its turbo shot from vocalist Emily Belastock, a wild child chick singer presentation, moving about like a whirling dervish of high notes, sustains, and belts. This woman made you feel the pure angst, revolt, and rebellion of this song.
URO don’t play a whole set of one classic rock band’s material at a time but tend to segue around without warning. Back into Queen territory, “Fat Bottomed Girls” not only got a heavy dose of gritty guitar, knobby bass, and propulsive drums, it came alight from an 8-part vocal chorus. The added vocal energy developed this part rock and roll song-part barroom sing-along into something fibrous and spunky. Female vocalist Fatima Elmi carried some of the hippy swaying energy of “Misty Mountain Hop” and Emily Belastock had the sexual charisma to ignite “Whole Lotta Love” during its hyper, crazy instrumental portion and its ensuing vocal sustains.
The most interesting moments came during The Who’s segmented mini rock opera “A Quick One While He’s Away.” Keyboardist Ernie Cataldo came to the front of the stage to sing during “Ivor The Engine Driver.” The multi-song woven into one story provided everyone in URO a moment to add something special to this quirky, oddball pre-cursor to “Tommy.”
An encore of “Baby O’ Rilley,” “Bohemia Rhapsody,” and the URO’s own original “Child, Thy Name Is Rock” gave drummer Ware more time to back up epic classic rock tunes with his pulse-pounding beat and swirls of driving rolls and fills. Needless to say, URO were up to the vocal challenge of Queen’s operatic rock chorus and made it credible with eight vocalists singing their hearts out. Guitarist Matt Sullivan did a fine job conjuring Brian May’s thick, fanciful guitar leads in his melodic phrasing.
It was an evening of great rock and roll brought to vivid life with a fulsome crack band capturing the right feel of the music while truly gifted singers lifted the spirit of these numbers with their three-dimensional deliveries.
