Johnny Rivers plays 'Secret Agent Man' and other classics at Chumash Casino
Johnny Rivers is assured a place in rock ‘n’ roll — and Los Angeles — history as being the leader of the house band when the Whisky a Go-Go opened on the Sunset Strip. His long residency helped the club to be the place to be; its storied history went on to include performances by 1960s bands such as The Doors, The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield; punk bands such as X and The Germs; and hard rock bands like Mötley Crue and Van Halen. Plus, between Rivers’ sets, go-go dancing was invented.
Of course, Rivers also brought us the hit song “Secret Agent Man,” originally used in opening of the TV show Secret Agent. The main guitar riff of this song, based on the James Bond theme, is surely one of the most recognizable in rock music.
When Rivers and his band — Skip Edwards on keyboards, including a Hammond organ with a genuine rotating Leslie speaker cabinet; Doug Hamblin on guitar; Darrel Cook on bass; Charlie Wood on percussion; and Keith Edwards on drums — played Thursday night in Rivers’ first performance at the Chumash Casino Resort, it was no surprise that “Secret Agent Man” was the show’s highlight. But the concert also featured many other great songs, mostly covers but also a few of Rivers’ originals old and new.
Like Rivers’ recorded output, the covers drew heavily on African-American-penned songs, including “Memphis” and “Maybelline” by Chuck Berry; “Rollin’ Stone (Catfish Blues)” and “I Got My Mojo Working” by Muddy Waters; “I Put a Spell on You” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins; “Chicago Bound” by Jimmy Rogers but with updated years in the lyrics, plus the Motown classics “Tracks Of My Tears” and “Baby I Need Your Loving.” And like his recorded output, these were all cool versions — not Pat Boone-style embarrassments — although his singing on the groovy, organ-drenched version of “I Put a Spell on You” didn’t have the reckless brilliance of Screamin’ Jay. But, really, who else could sing like that?
Rivers’ self-penned songs are also quite good. “Down at the House of Blues” has a catchy blues-based riff, reminding me of a more polished Black Keys sound. The new single “A New Home” has a nice mellow vibe. And then there was his only No. 1 song, “Poor Side Of Town,” which I really liked in its live syrupy-strings-free arrangement.
Some crowd favorites were “Summer Rain” (also syrup-free) with its once-timely reference to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band; “Mountain of Love,” which had the audience dancing in their seats; a haunting acoustic cover of “House of the Rising Sun;” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia — Boogie Woogie Flu” with Rivers’ son, Michael, sitting in on drums.
Probably most fun was the AM radio flashback “Baby I Need Your Loving.” Rivers had the crowd, split by gender, singing the chorus. The women went first and did a great job, then the men really fumbled the ball. After Rivers gave a pep talk (including a joke about Viagra) that it’s not “Baby I want your loving,” but “Baby I need your loving,” the men showed noticeable improvement.
The crowd packed the front for the encore, which included Rivers’ signature “Secret Agent Man.” Knowing that James Bond seemed to spend a lot of time in casinos, it seemed particularly fitting to hear this played at the Chumash Casino. Perhaps some real secret agents even slipped in from the blackjack tables to enjoy the show.
Setlist
Intro
Midnight Special
Chicago Bound
Down at the House of Blues
The Snake
A New Home
The Rooster Blues
Tracks Of My Tears
Mountain of Love
Summer Rain
House of the Rising Sun
American Dream
American Dream
I Put a Spell on You
Poor Side of Town
Rollin’ Stone (Catfish Blues)
Rockin’ Pneumonia — Boogie Woogie Flu
Baby I Need Your Loving
Memphis
Maybelline
Secret Agent Man
I Got My Mojo Working
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