So my son Andrew, his girlfriend Meaghan and I went to see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers (RCPM)at Live at the World Cafe on Friday night. Andrew and I had gone to see RCPM last year at Andrew’s suggestion. That was my inaugural RCPM concert and what I saw then was a great show with just about everyone but me singing along and knowing every word to every song! So that whenever Roger stopped singing the crowd took over! The crowd as usual was a mix of young and old, but everyone was enthusiastic! Clyne is a great showman and works the audience to perfection and the music is also great!
The band formed after the breakup of The Refreshment, a semi-successful rock band of the 1990s known for their top radio hit “Banditos,” which is still on the set list and a fan favorite, me included and also for the theme song to the long-running animated series King of the Hill. Frontman Roger Clyne and drummer Paul “P.H.” Naffah formed a the band Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.
From Wikipedia:
The Peacemaker’s early lyrics showcased Roger’s Southwestern roots and invoke images of cowboys, federales, and frequently reference Mexico and Arizona along with other Southwestern references. The early works have much more of a nihilistic feel to them. Recently his work has veered toward a permanent vacation feel, with many references to escaping modern society’s suburban lifestyle and trying to avoid a mid-life crisis.
Other members of the band include bassist Nick Scropos, who was originally with the band but left after only laying down the bass track on “Green and Dumb” he rejoined the band in 2004. Guitarist Jim Dalton whose great guitar work adds to the band’s sound had recently joined the band when we saw them last year.
We arrived at the show early so that we were standing right against the stage with Andrew being only a few feet from Roger. Meaghan and I were on the side of the stage where the bass player was playing and several times during the show he was standing right next to us and several times he lowered himself and was playing right in front of us!
The set list was taped on the floor in front of us and I told Andrew to take a picture so I could remember what they played. He did but then at the end of the concert Roger was shacking hands with the audience. He came over shook our hands and then he took the set list up and gave it to Andrew and here it is:
The band didn’t stray to much from the set list. The order of a couple of the songs was flipped and the band played a couple of requests. They take requests either shouted out or written on napkins. Clyne plays to the crowd often accepting shots of tequila from the crowd or hats. Several times he requested that the disco ball be turned on. Andrew said that he was really upset at a venue several nights before when the disco ball didn’t work!
They played most of the tunes I know except “Switchblade” and “Americano”, which was on the set list but wasn’t played. A two song encore was played one song was “Psychosis” which was a Refreshments song featured in the movie An American Werewolf in Paris. They played the song because it had been requested at many of their reent shows. The final encore song was switched from “New Day” to “Green and Dumb”
Like I said it was a great show and I promise that next year I will know more of the lyrics!
Here’s a version of the song “Mexico” from his Circus Mexicus. I think the video really captures the spirit of a RCPM concert!