Foghat and Mark Farner

It was a rock n roll doubleheader at the Arcada Theater in St. Charles this past Friday. Mark Farner, the voice and guitar of Grand Funk Railroad, played as well a whatever passes off as Foghat these days. I'll get to them in a bit, but first, let's talk about Mark.

I think many forget how big Grand Funk Railroad was in their prime. As a matter of fact, you'd probably have to be alive between 1970 and 1975 to believe how big they once were. It was between these years that GFR was the most popular band in the planet. They sold the most albums, made the most money, sold out every show, and got played more than any other act on the radio. My dad remembers these years well as this was his childhood and Grand Funk was everyone's favorite band. Once an act that used to fill stadiums on a regular basis, Grand Funk has now become a tribute to themselves, kicking Mark out of the band and settling for casinos and carnivals. Mark doesn't have it much better, playing places like the 900 capacity Arcada Theater, a far cry from the 65,000 that jammed into Shea Stadium over 45 years ago.

This being said, it was a full house Friday night. Mark played an hour and a half set of all the Grand Funk hits. Not only did he sound amazing, but he sings and plays the exact same as he did during Grand Funk's glory days. The only other band I've seen that sounded this close to the records itself is Rush, so that says a lot. His band is tight as hell and packs in enough energy to support Mark, a ball of energy himself who strutted across the stage like his hero Chuck Berry while blazing through "Are You Ready", "Time Machine", and "Footstomping Music". After his set, he did a free meet and greet (as it should be) and couldn't have been kinder. No bullshit here, I could tell Mark was grateful and generous to everyone who showed up. I look forward to seeing and meeting him again.

Now on to Foghat. It's been a few years since I last saw the shell of this great British hard rock band. Last time I saw them, they were opening up for Blue Öyster Cult and while Roger Earl remained the only original member, they came off as a great tribute to what once was. But I was 14 then. They came out strong with "Fool for the City" and "Eight Days on the Road". I told myself, "Wow, I'm in for a real treat." But then something happened. I don't know what it was, but for the remainder of the set, they seemed to drag. They sounded less like Foghat and more like a godawful bar band playing Foghat. Throwing in a handful of boring new songs, as well as doing a Spinal Tap-esque 30 minute blues jam leading into "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (you can't make this shit up folks), only made matters worse. By the time "Slow Ride" ended the night, I was sorely disappointed in what I had just witnessed. I understand Roger Earl's reasons for wanting to keep the Foghat legacy alive. However, I think he would be doing all of us a favor if he decided to call it a day for Foghat. Leave it up to classic rock radio to keep their legacy alive. The music has stood the test of time, so there's no need to tour and make an embarrassment of yourself.

It's a good thing Mark Farner was on the bill, otherwise, this show would've been a blowout.