Grand Funk Railroad is only performing 40 shows in 2016 and Lake Tahoe was privileged to host one of them. It was an outstanding classic rock concert performed by true professionals. The entire crowd was dancing in the seats and aisles. The was righteously rocking when it played “I am Your Captain/Closer to Home.” Grand Funk Railroad closed the show with its signature hit, “We’re an American Band.” Brewer donned a stars and stripes top hat while Kulick shredded a guitar with a flag image. Then Brewer stepped out to the front of the stage to sing lead on a unique version “Some Kind of Wonderful.” Schacher was playing his bass but the rest of the band was just clapping for most of the song. Kulick got the crowd on its feet again with a stirring guitar solo of the “Star Spangled Banner” with the USA flag waving onstage. The rest of the musicians showed its chops with excellent solos including Carl on the harp. Brewer’s stamina impressived fans as he pounded away the long solo. 38 Special, “Second Chance.” Then it was Brewer’s time to shine with a powerful drum solo reminiscent of the rock super groups in the ’70s and ’80s. 1 hit “The Loco-Motion.”Ĭarl performed a poignant version of his big hit with. The band started jamming with “Footstompin’ Music.” The entire crowd stood for No. Grand Funk Railroad played all of its biggest hits while the fans sang along with Carl and Brewer. The player really enjoyed themselves and drew a great response from the crowd. in music, rounds out this American band that appeared very comfortable onstage. Keyboardist Tim Cashion, who Carl said has a Ph.D. Kulick’s guitar licks were sharp and solid. The band is most notable for their peak in popularity during the 1970s. Lead guitarist Bruce Kulick also joined the band in 2000 after 12 years with Kiss. Grand Funk Railroad (shortened to Grand Funk) is an American hard rock band formed in 1969. Carl has been with Grand Funk since 2000 and previously played with. He showed great versatility as the lead singer while also playing the guitar, harmonica and drums. Schacher laid down a steady bass for the tight, 70-minute set featuring 13 songs.įrontman Max Carl is an extremely talented musician. Brewer frequently stood up on the drum riser as he belted out the vocals. His singing voice sounds young and strong. Brewer looks fantastic at age 67 and can still pound the drums with the best of them. Original members Don Brewer and Mel Schacher put on a great show of classic rock hits. The band was formed in 1969 in Flint, Michigan, and it is still rocking strong 47 years later. It was like the Wild West.The ultimate American band, Grand Funk Railroad, made a stop at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Saturday night, Feb. We were one of the very first arena bands.” Arenas then were “dirt floors, bleachers - no one knew how to do it. “I hate to use the term, but we were the new kids on the block. “It was certainly exciting,” Brewer said of the early, heady days. Some publications such as London's Melody maker were less than impressed.īut to hear Brewer, 61, talk about it now, it all seems like water under the bridge. He kept the actual band members away from the press, doing all the talking himself. Knight boasted about how your ears would bleed at a Grand Funk Railroad concert. As a live act, the band quickly drew huge crowds selling out places like New York's Shea Stadium. They brought in Todd Rundgren to produce their albums Were An American Band (1973) and. They frequently sold out stadiums and arenas. In 1969, Knight got the band into the Atlanta Pop Festival, and its loud, pile-driving rock caused something of a sensation. Also known as either Grand Funk Railroad or GFR, Grand Funk was generally dismissed by critics and radio programmers, but was able to sell over 20 million albums through constant touring. It's amazing.”īrewer, Schacher and vocalist and guitarist Mark Farner formed the band out of Flint, Mich., in 1968 under the watchful eye of their manager, Terry Knight. “It's fun to get out there to sing the words of the songs, and you see kids - they know the words to the songs. The band comes to Indian Ranch Saturday, which has become a regular stopping station along the touring train tracks. In its current inception, Grand Funk Railroad - with original members Don Brewer (drums) and Mel Schacher (bass) complemented by accomplished additions Max Carl (vocals), Bruce Kulick (guitar) and Tim Cashion (keyboards) - has been chugging along since 2000. But then, lo and behold, the band got back on track again. Ultimately the train, so to speak, would go off the rails. But the band had hits, most notably “We're An American Band,” which placed No. Some critics got steamed up (and yes, got into a funk) about Grand Funk Railroad's success. Their manager hyped the band up in a way that has seldom been seen before or since. Their sound was once described as “sledge-hammer,” but they were selling out arenas even before people knew that there could be such a thing as arena rock. Grand Funk Railroad made quite a bit of noise for itself as it steamed ahead as a supergroup in the early 1970s.
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