California's Central Valley got a visit from Bay Area rock legends
Y&T last night at the
Merced Theater. It was the first time the band has played there, and it was the first time they had played since early August. The lead singer/frontman Dave Meniketti suffered a back injury that took months to heal. Warned by his doctors not to perform, and probably a few stern warnings from his wife, Meniketti reluctantly cancelled last summer's European Tour. They play throughout Europe almost every summer and were sorely missed by fans from the UK to Germany. However, by laying off from the physical grind of van rides from show to show, slinging his original Les Paul around night after night, and getting some great physical therapy, he and the boys of Y&T made their return to the stage with full force.
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| Y&T's Dave Meniketti at the Merced Theater (Photo: Ken McCain) |
The other band members kept their own things going during their time off, playing gigs and recording music with other artists. Drummer Mike Vanderhule, a local from San Jose, CA, played a gig with another native, blues artist Maxx Cabello Jr. and plans for another show coming up soon. He also stayed busy tracking drums and has a teaching studio. Keeping the chops up is key when it comes to switching the light back on and hitting the road again with a high energy rock band like Y&T.
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| Y&T's Mike Vanderhule at the Merced Theater (Photo: Ken McCain) |
Their performance didn't suffer with the time away, though. They sounded great as they ripped through their setlist of nearly 20 killer tunes. They seamlessly combined hits from eight of their studio albums into a nearly 2 hour show for their fans. The lucky fans that came from near and far were treated to an intimate evening with these face-melting musicians. I noticed a lot of locals at the venue mixing and mingling before the show. Friends greeting each other, and those that had to reintroduce themselves to handshakes and hugs. I met a few at the local Public House just a few doors down. One, a teacher, was not going to the show, but he relayed to me that the theater had a long history, undergoing extensive interior work to make it back into a theater. It's restoration is amazing and a one-of-a-kind design.
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| Y&T's John Nymann (foreground) and Dave Meniketti (background) (Photo: Ken McCain) |
Highlights for me were plenty, but to keep the list short I'd say "Midnight in Tokyo" and "I'll Cry for You". The first is just such the quintessential Y&T song. Cool slow intro into great rocking power chord riffs, mystical lyrics, awesome China crash cymbals, and of course the killer signature Meniketti guitar solo. "I'll Cry for You" is a sweet bluesy tune that I relate to some of the best songs of Thin Lizzy with Gary Moore, i.e. "Parisienne Walkways"; however, "I'll Cry" is one of the few Y&T songs that is an instrumental, showing off Meniketti's excellent blues guitar work.
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| Y&T's John Nymann, Dave Meniketti, and Aaron Leigh (Photo: Ken McCain)
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At most seated theaters patrons will usually sit. This theater, being a seated venue was no different, that is until the boys broke out "Summertime Girls". That staple of all Y&T shows really gets people up and moving as it did last night. Most of the floor was on their feet the rest of the night as Y&T banged out some of their all-time classics and fan faves. The crowd still on its feet when the band broke for a few minutes rest chanted "Y&T!", "Y&T!","Y&T!" until the lights went up once again for the rockin' quartet. Meniketti earlier in the night sincerely addressed the crowd telling them that they "we're going on a little later than we expected... like a few months later than expected. And we appreciate you guys hanging around and coming back out to see us tonight". As they ended the night with "Forever", it seemed to make a point that their music will go on for that long and the band's appreciation for the love their fans give back will too. They've always been a group that gives to their fans as much as they can, meeting with them after shows as often as they can. With a handful of shows coming up this next month or so only in California, fans in both the north and the south can experience this for themselves. Check out their
tour dates and get yourself to a show!
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