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Palm
Beach Post, Monday, May 26, 2003
New Doors capture essence of originals
Charles Passy
For all the controversy and carping that has surrounded The Doors'
reunion tour, the actual show turned out to be a faithful recreation
of the bluesy, psychedelic style the group pioneered in the '60s.
That's the good news. Alas, it's also the bad news.
Make no mistake: If you're a fan of The Doors,
you would have been pleased with what The 21st Century Doors, as
the group is now calling itself, accomplished Saturday night at
the Sound Advice Amphitheatre before a crowd of about 5,000. (The
venue made the wise decision not to sell lawn seats, making the
audience seem larger than it was.)
Even minus the crucial contribution of frontman
Jim Morrison, the group, now led by original keyboardist Ray Manzarek
and guitarist Robby Krieger, stays true to the legend. And former
Cult lead singer Ian Astbury does a yeoman's job filling in for
the late Morrison. Indeed, one could argue that Astbury outdoes
Morrison, who, after all, was known for his erratic behavior onstage.
With his dark, resonant voice, Astbury stayed focused and on top
of the songs, which included such classics as Break On Through,
Love Me Two Times and Light My Fire. During a few
moments, he came close to mimicry, reaching out to the crowd Morrison-style
like a rock 'n' roll messiah, but he never lapsed into pure impersonation.
The bottom line: He struck a smart balance.
Moreover, Manzarek and Krieger showed that The
Doors were about more than Morrison's shaman-like presence. Manzarek
brought a jazzy sensibility to almost everything he did, setting
up songs with rambling but effective intros. Krieger provided the
crunchy counterweight, adding volume and vigor to give the music
its rock pedigree. Despite the lawsuits the pair has faced from
Morrison's family and former Doors drummer John Densmore, they are
clearly having the time of their lives. So, what's the problem?
It's the music, of course. Say what you will,
but The Doors never had the depth or scope of The Beatles or The
Rolling Stones, bands that went beyond their basic riffs and continually
challenged themselves and their audiences at the same time. With
The Doors, it's all moodiness and mysticism – like an evening of
bad Beat poetry. A concert's worth of their songs is a monochromatic
experience at best. In other words, you'll break on through to the
other side within the first 10 minutes. And Morrison isn't around
to open another door for you.
Set
list: 1. Roadhouse Blues / 2. Break
On Through / 3. When The Music's Over / 4. Love Me Two Times / 5.
Moonlight Drive / Louie Louie / Horse Latitudes / 6. Wild Child
/ 7. Cops Talk / 8. Alabama Song / Back Door Man / Five To One /
9. The Crystal Ship / 10. People Are Strange / 11. Spanish Caravan
/ 12. Maggie M'Gill / 13. L.A. Woman / Encore:
14. Riders On The Storm / 15. Light My Fire / 2nd
Encore: 16. Peace Frog 17. Soul Kitchen.
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