Tontons Make Up For Lost Time at Fitzgerald’s
Fitzgerald’s let in the crowds last Friday for a free show. This was the makeup for the bands that got rained out at Free Press Summer Fest on Saturday, something the bands themselves suggested.
The night opened with DeWayne Jackson rocking a flat top and his own set. Jackson was an active and engaged rapper, showering the crowd with lyrics about wearing his flat top in school. Glad to see hairstyles are making a comeback.
Synthpop trio BLSHS (“blushes”) took the stake after Jackson. They showed off practiced musicianship and wonderful use of a keytar. Michelle Miears’s dreamy singing works well against Chris Gore and Rick Carruth’s synth backgrounds. They had a decent set, ending on a rocking number that perfectly combined Miears and a driving beat.
Speaking of driving beats, follow-up act Wrestlers made waves with some impressive dance music. The DJ duo managed to crack what had until then had been an unresponsive Fitzgerald’s crowd. Their strong mixes and clever use of a woodblock solo (were those woodblocks?) got everybody jumping up and down.
The last act before the main event was rapper Fat Tony. He is not fat, something he cheerfully acknowledges in his songs. I wasn’t a huge fan of his music outside of the Pokemon guest act. Some clever fan brought a plushie Pikachu on a long pole and waved it near the stage. Fat Tony rapped with Pikachu without missing a beat. Nicely done, dude.
The main event of the show was the Tontons. They were good sports. After getting screwed by the weather at Summer Fest, they got up there and played an enthusiastic set.
I’m not a fan of The Tontons’s music, but even I could appreciate their passion for performing. Anybody could tell they were putting their heart into every song. That’s the kind of passion Houston needs to keep up a strong local music scene.
Overall? A good night, with good performances. Nobody was happy when The Tontons got rained out. At least we got a great concert out of it.
