Huey Lewis and the News

Nokia Theatre - November 12, 2009

Live Review and Photograph by Sean Lambert

Really? Yes, really. I went to the Huey Lewis and The News concert at the Nokia Center simply because a bunch of friends were going, the ticket was free and I thought it would be strangely entertaining. I was sitting at my computer reading an online article about the rumors circulating around the Boston Red Sox picking up the recent World Series MVP Hideki Matsui (which would be a terrible move), when my boy Sid Brown came knocking on the door. “Hey, do you want to go to the Huey Lewis show tonight? A bunch of the girls are going,” he said.

I thought about it for half a tick and decided I should go. Why not? Otherwise, I was just going to hang around the house and do next to nothing. “Sure,” I said, “this sounds too weird to pass up.” Sid smiled and ran off telling me he’d text me with the details. He was working the show that night doing artist services or something, so he had some kind of hookup and had to bolt. True to his word, Sid texted suggesting I walk up to his girl’s house where the gaggle was gathering. They would give me a ride to the show. Perfect. I decided against wearing my Michael Bolton Time, Love and Tenderness tour shirt, feeling the irony bar was already set high and such a ridiculous piece of apparel would only hurt me in the end. After having a few cocktails to get ourselves in proper order, I hopped in one of the two cars helmed by one of the lovely ladies of my crew. Regrettably, there was a Lakers game going on at the adjacent Staples Center, so the traffic was bad and the parking situation worse. We opted on a $20 lot and downed a couple shots of whiskey in the car before venturing out into the night.

While the lovely ladies and I strut our way to the Nokia Center, we ran through all the Huey Lewis songs we could think of, belting out whatever random lyrics came to mind: “If This Is It,” “Hip To Be Square,” “Stuck With You,” “I Need a New Drug,” “Doing It All for My Baby.” Dear God, the hits just kept on coming. It was this quality that made it fun. We grew up in the '80s whether we liked it or not. We know the hooks and melodies of these songs. We consistently heard these pop nuggets on the radio. We, and maybe even our parents, had the albums (or at least a cassette single or two). We at one time, looking at his pompadour, dark sunglasses and ultra thin ties, thought Huey Lewis was actually cool. It took only a few lines by the comedian Sam Kinison (remember him?) to expose this farce: “Hip to be square? Hip to be square? Where the fuck is it hip to be square? Probably the same place it’s hip to be named Huey?” I’m paraphrasing the late screamer, but you get the idea. Spot-on, Sam.

All of this nonsense came flooding back while we stopped into a nearby bar to grab yet another drink, rode up the escalators, got our gratis tickets and made our way into the club. Soon after ordering a couple more drinks, the house lights lowered and Huey and his crew took the stage. I’d like to say I remember what tune he opened with, but I don’t. I was busy trying to find the ladies among an assembled demographic nearly twice my age while balancing the aforementioned drinks in both hands. That’s just how I roll.

When I finally located my crew and had a chance to take in the performance, it struck me that Huey was probably a guy who had a great appreciation for soul music, much like yours truly. I had the good fortune of seeing Isaac Hayes in concert before he died, a true soul icon if there ever was one. His arrangements are nothing short of genius and I was really looking forward to hearing a loud bunch of brass interpret his extensive catalogue. But what did Huey Lewis and the News have that Isaac Hayes didn’t? A full, four-piece horn section! Isaac Hayes relied on a synth player while Huey brought out the real deal. I have to give Huey credit where credit is due. He understood there’s really no substitute for live horns. Huey’s harmonies were there, the song structures were very tight and the overall execution was nothing less than professional. In short, it was probably the safest I’ve ever felt at a concert. I wasn’t overwhelmed by the size or temperament of the crowd, no one was putting on any airs and the music was utterly nonthreatening. Huey was playing to his fans and we were (more or less) interlopers.

This didn’t stop us from readily enjoying ourselves or wandering to the second floor VIP section in search of food; a wasted section of the venue that didn’t even offer a view of the stage or much in the way of reasonable repast. We hollered and sang along to the words we could recall. We laughed when Huey closed with the apt “Back In Time,” the theme from Back to the Future, the song that best encapsulated the big dose of nostalgia we downed that night alongside our requisite spirits and barley pops. It was weird and worth doing, much like many of the other unexpected opportunities this perplexingly beautiful city presents. I’m sitting at my computer again, waiting for the next one.