Duty Free

Duty Free
Live Review/CD Review
Barley House Concord NH
February 2007


I am pissed. I am SO pissed. I am not pissed because my puppy just piddled on the floor, although that wasn’t pleasant. I am PISSED at Duty Free. I went to the Barley House in Concord and saw this great band called, yep, Duty Free. They played amazing tunes just like a band should. They were, well, good little boys and girls, with out the girls part… and change good to talented… and boys to men, back again doing a little east cost swing.

Quite frankly they put on a magnificent live show. All the members of Duty Free are proficient at their instrument; guitars, bass, keys, vocals and drums. They kept myself and the crowd very much entertained. If they come back to my area, I will go check them out again. Yet, I am pissed.

I take one of their FREE Duty Free CDs, although I may have misunderstood. They could have said, “our Duty Free CDs” and I just thought there were totally free. Maybe I owe them money. Hey guys, if I was suppose to pay for this let me know. It is quite a fantastic CD full of amazing guitar solos with keys and sometimes trumpet added in. The songs mix it up between a Dave Mathews feel to an almost jazz approach. The bass player kicks my ass, not in a “stop hitting me” way but in that “good groove” way. Anyway, we are getting off track, I am pissed.

People were mad when Michael Jackson sold Beatles tunes to Nike so they could market their new cross trainer. And we all shine on like the moon and the stars and this is worse; Duty Free has a Beatles cover on their album. BUT, it is only singing… no drums, no guitar, no bass, no tuna fish sandwich, and NO harmonies. Just a guy singing a Beatles song, live. I am actually lying a little bit. They did have the crowd clapping… A little.

Now, here, this is where I really, really, get pissed. The singer doesn’t keep time! He speeds up, slows down, he is all over the place. One thing my dad always said is, “Don’t include a live Beatles song on a CD when you don’t follow the audience’s beat when they are clapping along.” Ok my dad didn’t say that, the way he phrased it was “Take out the trash.” Don’t get me wrong he is a fine singer, but WHY destroy this classic piece of music. And why put it on his otherwise terrific CD.

If the CD wasn’t free Duty Free, let me know and I’ll give it back. Just let me burn those 11 of the 12 songs to my I-Pod first.

Rating: 7.2
To see for yourself go to http://www.dutyfreejams.biz/