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Date:
Location: Time: Audio: Video: |
Saturday, July 19, 2003
The Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh NC Around 11:30 PM Listen To It Now Watch It Now |
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Rehearsal: July 14-16 Rehearsal: July 14-16 
A familiar logo pulses on the video screen, the house lights go down, cheers and whistles go up, and a power chord feeds back through the theatre while the drums pound out a primal beat…Cirkus, the legendary band from NC, hits the stage one more time after a twenty year absence. You might think "what have these guys got to offer after that long"? Well, what they offered was a nearly two hour long clinic in the art of high intensity, balls to the wall, take no prisoners rock and roll. Unbelievably tight after only four days of hard rehearsal, Cirkus showed, once again and putting all doubts to rest, why they were considered one of the top club bands of their time. Loud, proud, frightening to senior citizens and small children, rude, crude and still socially unacceptable, Cirkus blazed through a setlist that included most of their original songs, and also showed off intense covers of three new songs that they worked up specifically for this show as well as throwing in a solid dose of tunes from their heyday. The Cookout: July 18 The Cookout: July 18 
The main band consisted of Steve Quinney (vocals), Sean Carmichael (guitar), Randy Lee (bass), and Kelly Craven (drums). Special guest appearances were made by Don Parker on guitar, an original member of Cirkus; Erin Carmichael (Sean’s daughter) on bass and backup vocals; Jeffrey Foster (Steve’s grandson) on guitar; and David Baker (formerly of Razzmatazz) on drums. The inimitable Steve Quinney was in fine form, possibly the best he’s ever sounded with Cirkus, and as he ever was, he is the consummate frontman ("Diamond Dave’s got NOTHING on me!"). Prodding the crowd with verbal jabs and working them into a frenzy and nailing each and every tune showed that he hasn’t lost a thing and that he’s possibly better than ever. Soundcheck: July 19 Soundcheck: July 19 
Sean’s guitar work was as solid as ever, playing like a man possessed. An impressive array of Marshall amps behind him, he blasted out riff after riff of molten power chords and searing lead work showing that he, too, hasn’t lost the touch or the ability to rock as hard as anyone half his age. What can we say about Randy? The band jokingly referred to him as "The God of Thunder" during rehearsals, but Randy proved he is all that and more. Holding down the bottom end with a tone guaranteed to rattle your innards (that would be a really good thing), Randy put on an awesome display of playing some of the heaviest bass lines known to man. The Openers: July 19 The Openers: July 19 
Kelly was once described as "thunderous". He’s always been steady as a rock with just the right touch of flashiness, and we think it’s safe to say that nothing has really changed, except for the better. The special guests also displayed their talents: Don came out and absolutely smoked several AC/DC tunes. David played with his usual power and steadiness, which is considerable. Jeffrey played as if he had been doing it all of his short life on this planet (so far), showing not the first sign that he had any nerves at all about getting on stage with the big boys. And Erin absolutely kicked ass playing bass on Cheap Trick’s "Big Eyes". Yes, folks, with Jeffrey and Erin, the future of rock and roll is in very good hands. The Performance: July 19 The Performance: July 19 
There are several people that the band would like to acknowledge for their help not only for this show but for all their support and work from the years past: Wesley Lynn Pittman, Jimmy Bailey, Mark Grossmann, and Kenny O’Neill. These guys, at various times, were members of the Fabulous Cirkus Drill Team, our road crew. All of them made it to the show and we were very happy to see them. Thanks, guys, from the bottom of our hearts. Special thanks to the Lincoln Theatre staff and especially Brad Skinner. What a cool place they’ve got—the Lincoln rocks! Thanks to Roger Dennis for mixing us so good—he’s a true professional in every sense of the word and we sincerely appreciate the donation of his time and energy to the project. Both Brad amd Dennis have been long time friends of the band. The Setlists The Setlists 
Thanks to our families—we wouldn’t be the people we are without you supporting us. And how cool is it that when all the kids go back to school and get asked "What did you do this summer?" They can say "We went to Raleigh and watched Dad kick ass!" Finally, many thanks to YOU, the loyal Cirkus fan. We did this show not only for ourselves, but for you. If y’all hadn’t been there for us back in the day, we never would have had a reason to do this twenty years later. As ever, stay tuned and don’t touch that dial. You never know what might be coming down the pike… |