I went into Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival; and, that means a Flower Power concert at the American Garden Theater in front of the American Adventure.
Performing tonight was the Atlanta Rhythm Section. This is the first time that I’ve seen the Atlanta Rhythm Section perform at Epcot. The group consisted of a lead vocalist, three guitarist, a keyboard player and a drummer; all excellent. The vocals were strong and the guitar work exceptional. I must admit that of all the groups performing at these concerts, I knew the least about Atlanta Rhythm Section. So, I was really looking forward to hearing them. Even though most of the songs were not songs I was familiar with, I did enjoy their performance. This band is very, very good!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Atlanta Rhythm Section, they are a pop/rock group whose roots are in the Atlanta area. Their sound has often been describe as “Southern rock”. Interestingly, they got their start in the 70’s as a “studio” band. Over the years they have seen a number of band members come and go. They did have two top ten songs and a number of songs reach the Billboard Top 100. Anyway, some of Atlanta Rhythm Section’s hit songs are: Spooky, I’m So Into You and Imaginary Lover,
Tip: for those of you who don’t recognize songs by their title (like me) you can go to either YouTube.com and find a video or a website like Amazon.com and look up the greatest hits album. Amazon will allow you to play a few seconds of each song; just enough to help you recognize (or not) the song.
As I said before the Atlanta Rhythm Section is an excellent band. However, compared to other performers in the Flower Power concert series they lacked a connection with the audience. They basically came on stage, sang a few songs very well and left. That was a disappointment.
Also, when I think of Flower Power concerts I don’t think of the Atlanta Rhythm Section. In the past Disney has had some great performers from that era come and perform; and, for some reason, not be invited back again. For instance Jay Black (Jay and The Americans) and the Grassroots. In particular, I would love to see Rob Gill and The Grassroots back on the schedule!
Here’s a few pictures from tonight’s performance for you to enjoy.
.
If you’re a fan of the Atlanta Rhythm Section or have seen them perform, leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Finally, be one of the first people to hear when my newest blogs go live on AllEars.net by joining “DisneyMike’s World” Facebook group.
Well, that’s all for now. As my good friend says “see ya real soon”…DizneyMike
Hey, see this little green button? Well, it allows you to share this blog with your family and friends quite easily. Give it a try; it’s pretty neat!
dittos again mike
DizneyMike replies: Dusty, thanks, I do try to be both fair and honest with my reviews. But, I don’t expects other to always agree or have the same likes as me. Thats what makes the world go round….Mike
While I am not a huge fan of ARS, I did grow up in the 70’s and enjoyed hits like “Spooky”, “Imaginary Lover” and “So into you”. My wife and I attended the 5:15 and 7:45 shows on Friday night and found the band to be energetic, tight and sound very much like they did on the recordings. The lead singer sounded great, the rhythm guitarist was dead on, and the lead guitarist had some nice solos without going “over the top”. If you are familiar with ARS, I am not sure what there was to be disappointed about.
DizneyMike replies: Steve, I appreciate your comments and I’m really glad you enjoyed the concert. As I said in the blog I did enjoy their concert and thought they were very good musicians and that the vocal were very good. My disappointment comes when you compare them to other Flower Power performers who made a great connection with the audience and who were both showmen and entertainers in addition to being great musicians. Sorry, but ARS can’t compare to Peter Noone, Tony Orlando, David Cassidy, Paul Revere or Mickey Thomas and Starship….Mike
mike ditto on everything you posted above . ARS has to be the worst show i have ever seen @ epcot. have never seen guests in droves get up and leave a concert like i did sat @ 6:30. my wife wanted to see them & was disapointed. where is the GRASS ROOTS when you need them.
DizneyMike replies: Dusty, for the life of me I can’t understand why the Grassroots weren’t invited back. They sounded great, have fantastic hit songs and the audience loved them. Hopefully someone from Disney is reading….Mike