Grand Funk
Berlin Festival
Berlin, Connecticut
October 4, 2009
Tony Pijar
Grand Funk have not recorded anything new in many a year and do not have a rigorous touring schedule either, yet their popularity has not waned. Content to play festivals, state fairs and the like, their music has stood the test of time and has endured; the thousand-plus fans in attendance could attest to that. Don Brewer and Mel Schacher remain from the original lie-up and still deliver. Brewer is still a phenomenal drummer; while Schacher’s thunderous bass runs continue to resonate throughout the body. Staying away from the mark Farner-penned material, the band jumped all over the likes of “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Shinin’ On”, “Walk like a Man”, and “The Locomotion.” They were all top ten hits back in the day and still sound sooo good! Vocalist Max Carl has such an incredibly soulful voice and Bruce Kulick (yes, that Bruce Kulick) added grit to the likes of “Inside Looking Out.”
With an audience ranging from small children to grandparents, intact families, people dancing in the aisles, and a perfect autumn afternoon…that’s what it’s all about! I must admit that it was bizarre seeing Grand Funk at The Berlin Fair given that back in the early 70s they were the most popular band in the US and even sold out Shea Stadium in record time! In retrospect, that’s what makes seeing them even more special now!
